Hide & Seek
by lezship
Summary: Octavia is going through something and needs Clarke, but when she finds out that the blonde has left Camp Jaha on her own, Octavia feels responsible and knows that she has to go find her. Set after 2x16. This story will be very female-centric.
1. Where is she?

**Authors Note: **Hey all, this is my first ever fanfic so I hope it isn't too bad! The lack of Clarktavia was killing me, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. This first chapter is really short and is more to give you a sense of where we're at and what is going on. Because it's so short, I'll probably have another chapter up in a few hours. I'm a full time university student, so I may not be able to update every day, but I will try to pace it well!

This story is rated M for language and (maybe) sex scenes in later chapters.

**Disclaimer: I do not own The 100 or any of its characters.**

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"Hey Bell, have you seen Clarke?" Octavia asked as she approached her brother and their friends, who were sitting around a campfire.

Bellamy pretended he hadn't heard his sister's question. He just continued talking to Monty. That is, until Octavia smacked him on the back of the head.

"What the hell, O?!"

"I asked you a question." Octavia was serious, and she had a sad look in her eyes. Bellamy knew his sister well. He knew something was wrong.

"Alright, let's talk." Bellamy got up and guided Octavia away from their friends so that he could find out why she seemed so upset and so desperate. "Octavia, what's going on? You seem really-"

"Just tell me where Clarke is!" Her sadness was quickly turning to anger as she grew impatient. But Octavia knew that yelling at Bellamy wouldn't get her an answer. She just _needed_ to talk to Clarke. Octavia drew in a deep breath before continuing calmly, but with urgency still in her voice. "I'm fine Bell. Please, just tell me where she is."

Bellamy hesitated, but decided his sister needed to know. "She left. When we returned from Mount Weather, Clarke couldn't come in to Camp Jaha. She wouldn't allow herself to. The burden of what she- what _we _had to do- it was just too much for her."

Octavia's face got angry, but then became worried. "Did she say where she was going? She shouldn't be out there alone, it's too dangerous. I need to go find her." Octavia quickly took off for the camp gate, but Bellamy grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"O, it's dark. And Clarke left hours ago in god knows which direction. Like you said, it's too dangerous. I'm not letting you go, you won't find her."

"You don't know that Bellamy. I'm not a little kid anymore, I can take care of myself! The longer I wait to go find her, the harder it will become. She can't be alone out there. The Princess doesn't know the ground." Octavia yanked her arm from her brother's grasp and continued to the gate.

"Neither do you!"

"I certainly know it better than Clarke!" Octavia was growing impatient again.

"Well you're not going alone! I'm coming with you. And Lincoln should come too."

With that comment, Octavia drew her sword and pointed it at her brother. She wouldn't hurt him, but she needed to show him how serious she was. Octavia didn't realize that the fire in her eyes said enough already. "No! I need to do this Bell, alone. I said things to Clarke, things that probably made her second guess her judgment and caused her to leave. It's my fault and I have to fix it. You're not coming." She paused for a moment and looked at the ground. "And I don't want Lincoln to come either."

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. Bellamy saw a commotion around the fire where his friends were and immediately ran to help. But when he got there, he found that Harper had merely fallen asleep and woken terrified from a nightmare.

By the time he turned around to return to Octavia, she was gone. She had used the ruckus to slip out through the gate and go after Clarke. Bellamy ran to grab a gun and the only person around that knew the wilderness of Earth – Lincoln. They needed to go after Octavia. His sister, his responsibility.


	2. Thoughts

**Octavia's POV**

The forest is so dark, thank god for these mutated glowing flowers. Nature could be awfully convenient sometimes. Clarke would love these flowers. She appreciates the beauty in everything here on Earth.

Clarke. If she could care so much for useless plants, why couldn't she care for the lives of the innocent people she killed in Tondc?

Dammit Octavia, stop. I know that she didn't have a choice. If she alerted everybody, Bellamy might've been made. We may never have freed the prisoners of the Mountain Men. These decisions obviously aren't easy for Clarke. I mean, she's hurting so much that she thought it would be best to run away. If I hadn't blamed her…

Just focus on what you're doing Octavia. This girl certainly doesn't leave an easy trail to follow. Clarke is smart like that: calculating. I love that about her. She knows what she's doing. She doesn't take a single step without thinking about the potential consequences. I guess that's why I want to tell her that I forgive her, because I understand. And because of what Lincoln-

Don't think about Lincoln, Octavia. Think about finding Clarke. The sun is starting to rise; it's been hours since I left camp. I need to find her soon because I honestly feel like I'm going to pass out if I don't get some sle-

My thoughts are cut short as I approach a river bank. I see something unmistakable. That blonde hair can't belong to anybody else. It's her. It's Clarke.

Be careful Octavia, she'll probably shoot you if you scare her. I hide behind a tree in case she decides to open fire.

I quietly call her name. "Clarke."

Two gunshots in my direction. Thanks, tree.

I call to her again. "Don't shoot Clarke. It's O."

I hear her hands fall to her side and step out from behind the tree.

Wow. She's so beautiful. Even like this, even having just shot at me, even with fury and despair in her eyes, she is beautiful.

She responds with words instead of bullets this time. "What are you doing here Octavia?"

Her voice is shaky. I approach her slowly, just looking her over. I need to know that she's alright. But as I get closer, I see that her eyes are red. They look tired. She looks like she's been crying. I should probably say something now. But what am I supposed to say? I probably should've thought this out more…

I am standing in front of her now, looking into her once bright eyes, which now appear so dull. Wow, I've never seen this look on her face. She looks defeated; she looks like she has nothing left. Yet something about her being still radiates strength.

Say something Octavia.

"Clarke..." she knows that you know her name. Say something else, dammit. "I'm glad you're ok. I've been looking for you all night. But next time I seek you out, don't be so quick on the trigger."

Always the comedian. Can you be sentimental for once? How about you hug her, dummy.

I cautiously wrap my arms around her, worried about how she will react, but the beautifully broken Clarke Griffin hugs me back. In that moment, I just want to melt into her.

"Why did you come looking for me?"

Because I need you, Clarke. That's what I want to say, but I can't. At least not now. Now, I just want to stay in this embrace.

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**Author's Note:** I hope you liked this POV chapter. I plan on writing a few of the chapters in the story like this, but the majority will be written like the first chapter.

Just to let you know, the characters will not always adhere to the personalities they have developed in the show. Remember, this is just my imagination running wild!

Reviews are welcomed, even if they feature criticisms! I'd love to make this story great for you all.


	3. My sister, my responsibility

**Bellamy's POV**

For somebody who sticks out like a sore thumb at Camp Jaha, you would think Lincoln would be easier to find. Where the hell is this guy?

Octavia left at least twenty minutes ago. If I don't leave to find her soon, I may never see her again. I know I won't be able to track her on my own in the woods. God dammit, I need to find Lincoln.

I enter the medical bay on the arc and see Wick tending to Raven. She looks a lot better than she did when we returned from the Mountain earlier. She and Octavia are pretty close, so maybe she's close with Lincoln too. Maybe she knows where I can find the grounder.

"Do you know where Lincoln disappeared to?" I force the question out with more venom than intended. Wick raises an eyebrow at me and looks to Raven, but she nods her head and he leaves the room. Good—he gets on my nerves anyways.

"Hey Bellamy, I'm doing _so_ much better, thanks for asking!" Oh right, I'm talking to the queen of sass. That should have been expected. I need to apologize or else she'll keep churning out witty comebacks, and right now I just need an answer.

"Sorry Raven, it's just that I need Lincoln's help…" I pause for a second to think if I should tell her why, but decide it would be best not to alert anybody else. "He said he was going to help me create more grounder weapons so that our people can hunt without wasting bullets."

"Well, sorry to break it to you, but you're going to have to cancel your little art project. Lincoln was kicked out of camp a few hours ago." She says it like it's no big deal, but it's certainly news to me. Why do I never know about shit like this?

"What do you mean he was kicked out? By whom? Why?" I need answers.

"I mean he isn't allowed to come back here. Octavia kicked him out. She didn't tell-"

"Clearly she didn't tell me anything. I have to go." I cut Raven off because I realize that her information is useless to me now. I need to find O.

I hear Raven yell after me. "Yeah, no problem Bellamy! Glad I could be of service!" I shake my head. So much attitude. No wonder why she and Octavia are such good friends.

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The sun is starting to rise. Shit, I must have been wandering around these woods for hours. If I've learned one thing about my sister since coming to Earth, it's that she knows how to adapt for survival. Her survival skills definitely include covering her trail. I don't think I'll ever find her. Fuck.

I can't believe my baby sister has grown up into the grounder that she is. I can't believe she's grown up. I'm proud of her and all, but I certainly miss her innocence. I miss the way we used to play together. I miss the soft heart that she had. I miss the look on her face when she saw space for the first time on the night she was caught.

This is entirely my fault. We wouldn't be here if I hadn't convinced her to go to the masquerade dance. Our mother wouldn't have been floated. Octavia wouldn't have grown up so fast.

Then again, if we weren't sent down with the 100 we may have died when the Ark fell. Damn, that space junk ruined so many lives. I can't believe I once called it home.

My thoughts are suddenly stopped when I hear gunshots. It may be a quiet forest, but those shots were _loud_. Whoever fired that gun is close. What if Octavia found Clarke? The princess may have killed before, but she wouldn't dare hurt my sister…would she?

I immediately start running towards the direction of the gunfire. All I can see is the image of O bleeding on the ground. I hear my mother's voice in my head. "Your sister, your responsibility." Dammit Bellamy, you never should have turned your back. If she's hurt, it's on you. _Run faster_.

I finally reach a riverbank and I see them…hugging? That's a far cry from gunshots. At least they're ok. Octavia is ok.

I need to get these two back to Camp Jaha. The woods are dangerous, and who knows where all of the grounders are. Somebody could strike at any moment.

I slowly begin approaching the two, but quickly dart behind a tree when a bullet flies through the air in my direction. Thanks, tree.

"Don't kill me princess, it's Bellamy." I step out from behind my wooden shield and run over to my sister. As soon as I reach her, I hug her tightly. I didn't know if I would ever see her again, but she's ok. Octavia is going to be fine. I'll keep her safe.

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**Author's Note: **Here's another short POV chapter. For those of you waiting for romance, don't worry! It's on the way :)

Please follow, favorite, and review!


	4. Going Back

"Uhm, Bellamy. I kinda...can't breathe." Octavia was struggling to get the words out. She loved that he cared, but she really couldn't get air into her lungs.

Bellamy released his sister from his grasp. "Sorry, I was just worried. I'm happy to see you." He paused and turned to Clarke. "Both of you."

Clarke just smiled weakly. She loves Bellamy, but she hates the feeling she gets when she sees him. It's just a reminder of everything she did to get him and the rest of her people out of Mount Weather. Her gut churns just thinking about it. And then there is Octavia—the sky girl turned grounder who matters immensely to Clarke. She can't help but hate herself when she thinks about how many times she let Octavia down. Sure, Octavia may be happy to see her right now, but Clarke knows how she feels deep down. She knows Octavia is hurt, and she is so sorry, but she knows that her regret won't change anything.

Clarke's thoughts are interrupted by Bellamy. "We should go back to camp. I'm sure people are wondering where we are."

"I love how you just assume that we matter so much to everybody," Octavia scoffed sarcastically.

"Fair enough. _We _don't matter, but Clarke _does_. Let's go." Bellamy begins to walk back, but Clarke stays put.

Octavia puts a hand on the blonde's shoulder and searches her eyes. She wants nothing more than to know what is going on in that beautiful mind.

"I can't go back there," Clarke whispered to Octavia. Her voice sounded more broken than she intended. Clarke was hurting, and the young woman standing before her looked like she was hurting too. Nevertheless, Octavia's hand drifted downward, from Clarke's shoulder to her arm to her own shaking hand, grasping in gently.

Bellamy had stopped when he realized nobody was following him. He wasn't really sure what he was seeing when he turned around. His sister and Clarke were having a stare-down while holding hands and he did not approve. They needed to get going anyways. He yelled to them, "Can you ladies move your feet? I'd like to get back to camp before our friends die of old age."

Octavia broke her eye contact with Clarke and scowled at her brother. "Shut up and go sit over there for a minute. We'll leave when we leave. Feel free to go on ahead of us if you're so impatient."

As Bellamy huffed and took a seat, Clarke couldn't help but be entranced with Octavia's manor of communicating. She was forceful yet sarcastic. Anyone would bend at her words. Well, at least Clarke would. And Bellamy, clearly.

Octavia, who was still holding Clarke's hand, pulled the blonde over to sit on a log that was out of Bellamy's earshot. She waited for Clarke to speak first.

"Why did you come looking for me?" She was repeating the question that she hadn't gotten the answer to before Bellamy came and scared the shit out of them.

"I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize? O, you didn't do anything wrong. I screwed up. And I killed so many people. You were right, my best wasn't good enough. I shouldn't have trusted Lexa and I should have been loyal to our people. I made a mistake—a lot of mistakes—and I'm sorry."

Clarke was speaking rapidly and getting emotional. Octavia just held her hand tighter. She felt horrible that Clarke blamed herself so much. She needs to fix this.

"Don't, Clarke. Don't apologize. I shouldn't have judged your decisions. I know that you didn't intend to hurt anybody. And even Tondc…" she paused for a moment to keep her emotions in check. "The choice you made in Tondc saved our people and the Trigedakru in Mount Weather—saved my brother—from torture and death. You made a choice, and it definitely wasn't an easy one. I shouldn't have been so angry with you. In battle, we have to do things that we wouldn't normally do. I understand that now. I found something out…I just know that you weren't the only one who made a mistake."

Clarke wanted to know what happened to Octavia. Even when she first hugged Clarke a little while ago, the blonde could sense that something was off. But if Clarke knows Octavia at all, she knows that now isn't the best time to ask. She will wait. Clarke wraps her arms around Octavia and speaks softly.

"I'm still sorry. And I understand why you were angry, you don't need to apologize for feelings." She releases the brunette and looks into her eyes. "You don't need to ask for my forgiveness, because you already have it."

Octavia smiles. "As do you, princess."

Clarke giggles at sound of Octavia calling her "princess" and playfully punches the other girl's arm.

"What do you say we go back to camp? Bellamy was right in saying that you matter to everybody there. They wouldn't want you to disappear. I wouldn't want you to disappear."

Clarke looks at the ground and thinks for a moment, but it isn't long before she stands and holds out a hand for Octavia. The brunette flashes a wide smile and takes the hand that has been offered to her.

"Ready to hit the road, bro?"

Bellamy lets out a loud "FINALLY!" gets up, and begins to walk back the way he came.

Octavia and Clarke laugh and begin to follow him. They don't speak much as they walk back, but the girls exchange numerous glances and smiles.

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**Author's Note: **Here you go! I have a few papers due this Friday, so it may be a little while before the next update. Good things are coming though!

To the guest who asked about Lexa, she and other grounders will surface, but the story will mostly follow the sky people!

Please follow, favorite, and review!


	5. I'm with you

**Author's Note: **Well shoot, I've been having so much fun that I decided to do just one more chapter today! _And_ it's the longest one so far. As always, I hope you like it and I look forward to favorites, follows, and reviews :)

To the guest reviewer 100: Thanks for the feedback! As you'll see in the beginning of this chapter, I definitely take suggestions and criticisms into consideration!

**TRIGGER WARNING** FOR THIS CHAPTER: **Abuse**—it is slightly descriptive, but only briefly mentioned.

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Exhaustion hit the three young adults not long after they began their journey back. They stopped to rest for a couple of hours. When Bellamy awoke, it was probably around two in the afternoon. He woke up the girls and they continued onwards. The closer they got though, the more Clarke began to question her decision to return.

About two hours had passed since they awoke. The journey was coming to an end. It was a lot easier to navigate the forest in the daylight, so it didn't take as long to get back as it did to find Clarke. Plus, this time Bellamy and Octavia knew exactly where they were going.

The Ark structure at Camp Jaha comes into view through the trees and Clarke freezes. Her heartbeat increases, her breathing becomes erratic, and she feels the earth moving below her feet. She can't go back, not yet.

Octavia turns to look at Clarke and sees that she is clearly having a panic attack. She calls for Bellamy to stop and has Clarke take a seat against a tree. Sometimes Octavia got panic attacks before she had to go back under the floor, so she does for Clarke what Bellamy had done for her. She puts her hand over Clarke's heart and takes Clarke's hand and brings it to her heart.

"Feel my heartbeat, Clarke. Breathe in and breathe out. Look at me, Clarke. Tell your heart to beat in time with mine. Just breathe with me."

Clarke followed Octavia's instructions and she began to calm. When she felt ok again, she rubbed her thumb over where it rested on Octavia's chest before removing her hand.

Bellamy had been watching this ordeal. He remembered the times he would have to do the same thing with O. She has grown up so much since they came to the ground, and now she is taking care of Clarke. Bellamy couldn't be more proud of the person his sister is becoming.

Clarke is still looking into Octavia's eyes. "I can't-"

"Ok." Octavia interrupts Clarke, the blonde's eyes having already communicated that she needs more time. "Bellamy, give Clarke and I about an hour to move further from camp. Then, only if she asks, tell Abby that Clarke just needs a little while before she comes back."

Bellamy doesn't question Octavia's judgment this time. "Alright, get going. And be careful."

Octavia helps Clarke up and turns to joke with Bellamy. "Aren't I always?" She laughs, he shakes his head, and the two girls begin to walk.

"You don't have to come with me, Octavia. Despite what you seem to believe, I _do_ know how to survive in the woods."

The brunette laughs, loving the attitude. "_Sure_ you do. I guess I just don't want you to feel like you're alone."

Clarke smiles at the sincerity, but plays it off by bumping Octavia's shoulder. "Dork."

* * *

Octavia led them to an underground bomb shelter that she had found while exploring the woods one day. It was different than the one that Clarke and Finn had found. There was a small sofa, a coffee table, shelves filled with supplies, a bed, and a bathroom. The plumbing didn't work, but it made the place feel like a small apartment. There were a few candles lying around, which Octavia lit as they entered.

"What do you think? Cozy, right?"

It is certainly cozy, even more so with Octavia there. Clarke is truly happy that the brunette came along.

"I'm glad you found this place. I like it." Clarke is smiling to herself, something that Octavia doesn't miss, even in the dimly lit shelter.

"There's a creek that runs by here. The water is clean and there are plenty of plants to forage. I'm going to head over there, do you want to come with me?"

Clarke still wants to know what is going on with Octavia. Lincoln hadn't been with her, which was rather unusual. Clarke decides to take advantage of this opportunity to talk to her friend. "I would love to."

"Awesome! Grab a few of those bottles off the shelves so we can bring back some water."

Clarke takes the bottles and follows Octavia out of the shelter and towards the creek.

When they get there, Octavia shows Clarke which plants aren't poisonous and then proceeds to make a fish trap out of branches. Clarke sees what the other girl is doing and is amazed by how much she has already learned on Earth.

"Did Lincoln teach you how to do that?"

Octavia stops for a moment, but then continues making the trap. "Yeah, he did." She wants to tell Clarke what happened, she needs Clarke to know, but she doesn't want to burden the girl. The young leader already has enough to worry about.

Sensing the pain in Octavia's heart, Clarke puts down the plants she has collected and sits down next to her, watching her delicately craft the fish trap. The two sit in silence for a moment before Clarke speaks.

"Do you want to tell me what happened with you two? Earlier you told me that you found something out—that somebody else made a mistake. Was it Lincoln?"

Octavia sat with the questions for a moment as she finished her trap. She got up, placed it in the creek, and returned to Clarke.

"I made a mistake, Clarke." Octavia turns westward to look at the setting sun. "I shouldn't have trusted Lincoln the way that I did. Before Lexa went to take the Mountain Men that were shooting at you from above, he told her to take whatever deal they offered her. He didn't even consider that the deal might cost my brother and the rest of our people their lives."

"He knew about the deal?"

"When they were turning him into a reaper, Lincoln spent enough time around Cage to know the type of man he was. He figured that somebody so desperate to protect his blood supply would be willing to make a compromise. And he told Lexa to take it."

"Yeah, but Lexa is the only one who knew exactly what the deal would entail."

"That's what I said to Lincoln when he was telling me all of this, but he said he knew the potential risk for our people. Apparently he only cared to keep me out of battle. I was really angry, you know? I may have become Trigedakru, but that doesn't imply that the 100, or rather the remainder of them, mean nothing to me." Octavia pauses for a second. She feels like crying, but knows she has to stay strong.

She continues, "I was yelling at him, telling him that what he did was wrong. The same stuff I said to you when I found out about Tondc. He just…he just snapped. He punched me in the gut. And then he did it again. And again. It was like the day Indra asked me to become her second, but I wasn't asking for this. After my brain caught up with what was happening, I ducked out and pulled a sword on him. I told him to leave Camp Jaha, and he did."

Clarke's heart drops to her feet. The 'doctor's daughter' in her takes over and she lifts the hem of Octavia's shirt. She runs her hand over the bruises that coat the brunette's abdomen. Octavia doesn't even wince. Clarke isn't surprised. They had walked for hours and she hadn't even made a sound. The bruises are bad, but Clarke is pretty sure that there isn't any severe internal damage.

Octavia begins to cry, not because of the pain, but because of the way Clarke is looking at her and touching her. She actually cares, and for some reason this takes Octavia by surprise.

Clarke embraces Octavia. She knows that there isn't anything she can say to make the girl feel better. The mental damage caused by things like this can only be repaired with time, and with support. Words won't fix Octavia's pain.

Octavia stops crying after a while, but she stays in Clarke's arms. After the sun goes down, the moon takes over and lights the forest and creek. Eventually, the girls get up. Octavia checks the fish trap while Clarke fills up the water bottles and puts the previously collected plants into her satchel.

The two girls walk back to their shelter and eat dinner in silence. When they finish eating, Clarke gets up and begins to look at the supplies on the shelves before she turns to look at the brunette and speaks.

"I know you, Octavia. I know you. I know you well enough to say that you will get through this. And I'll be there for you. Anything you need, come to me."

Octavia doesn't respond with words. She stands and walks to Clarke, she gets so close that they are in each other's space. She wraps her arms around the blonde's waist, and then she leans in. Octavia presses her lips against Clarke's. Clarke takes Octavia's face into her hands and kisses back, gliding her tongue against the shorter girl's lower lip, after which Octavia allows her access. Their tongues dance together. It is a passionate kiss, but it is slow. It is honest.

Clarke breaks the kiss after a moment and rests her forehead against Octavia's. She pulls the girl into a meaningful embrace, which Octavia breaks.

This whole evening has been too heavy for Octavia, so she does what she does best and lightens the mood with her comedic side. "Don't take this the wrong way, but we should totally strip and get into bed together now."

Clarke smiles at this joke, but then Octavia takes off everything but her tank and underwear and climbs into the bed. Clarke gulps and looks at her in awe, which doesn't go unnoticed by Octavia.

"I said _don't_ take it the wrong way. I'm sure you're just as exhausted as I am"

Clarke lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding, to which Octavia responds with a laugh. The blonde scowls and then undresses and joins the other girl in bed. When they're both under the covers, Clarke moves to cuddle with Octavia.

"Night, dork," The blonde whispers into the ear of the little spoon.

"Screw you, princess." Octavia smiles to herself as she feels the blonde laugh against her back. The two girls then drift off to sleep.


	6. The cover-up

**TRIGGER WARNING** FOR THIS CHAPTER: **Abuse**—it is mentioned in one sentence. This is the last chapter that will have a mention of abuse. I'm sorry for the heavy topic, that's just where the story went.

* * *

_Back at Camp Jaha_

Bellamy had followed Octavia's instructions. He went back into camp after he had given them an hour or so to move. A few people asked where he had been and if he had seen Clarke or Octavia, so he lied. If people had noticed that his sister was missing, he knew that they probably thought he was out looking for her. To cover the truth, he said that he found Octavia with Lincoln and that he hadn't seen Clarke. Many people from the Ark were worried about their unofficial leader. Bellamy assured them that she would be ok.

With the whole camp buzzing about Clarke being missing, Bellamy knew it was only a matter of time before Abby would approach him. Though he is a good liar and very tough, Abby still scares the shit out of him. If Clarke's life is in jeopardy, so is everyone else's.

The morning after his return, Bellamy is taking a walk around the camp. It's quiet, as most people are still asleep, so Bellamy is taking the time to just think. That is, until Raven runs up to him and interrupts his internal chatter.

"Where are they?" She is talking low as not to wake the entire camp, but her voice is still determined.

"What? Who?" Bellamy responds in confusion, his mind adjusting to hearing a voice other than that of his own thoughts.

"Octavia and Lincoln. I heard that you found them together and I need you to tell me where they are. Now." Raven is sounding impatient.

Bellamy is alarmed by the urgency in her voice, but then he remembers Raven telling him that Octavia kicked Lincoln out of Camp Jaha. "Is this because of Octavia kicking him out? Maybe they're reconciling."

At this point, Raven is furious. She looks around to make sure none of the other early-risers would be able to hear them, and then looks at her friend. "Do you know _why_ she kicked him out, Bellamy? Listen to me, because last time in the medical bay you cut me off. Octavia didn't just force him to leave with a sword to his throat because of a little argument, she threw him out because he beat the crap out of her."

At this point, Bellamy feels lava pulsing through his veins and he is ready to tear Lincoln to pieces. Before he can get a word out, Raven continues.

"If she is out there staying with Lincoln, then she is potentially in more danger than if she were out there alone. That's why I need you to tell me where she is."

Bellamy looks at her and notices that she is just as angry and certainly more worried than he is. He decides to tell her the truth. "Raven, I lied to everybody. Octavia isn't with Lincoln, she's with Clarke." He tells her about why Clarke left, Octavia going after her, and their decision to stay away from camp for a little while longer. "You can't tell anybody though. Clarke needs time. And now that I know about Lincoln, it's clear that Octavia does too."

Raven is certainly less worried now that she knows the truth. "I won't tell anyone. I'm just glad that Octavia and Clarke have each other out there."

"Where exactly is 'there,' Ms. Reyes?"

Bellamy and Raven turn to face Abby, who is standing behind them with her arms crossed, looking like a mother bear whose cub is in danger. They probably should have talked somewhere else.

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**Author's Note: **Here's a short chapter to tie you over until the weekend. Thanks for your continued support of my writing! Favorites, follows, and reviews are always appreciated!


	7. Waking up

**Author's Note: **Happy Saturday! Things with Clarke and Octavia are starting to heat up in this chapter.

Sorry about the wait, by the way. Like I said, I had a few papers due. Anyways, thanks so much for the great reviews, follows and favorites! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it (:

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_Camp Jaha_

Abby is glaring at Raven and Bellamy, waiting for an answer. She has been worrying nonstop about Clarke since she noticed her daughter hadn't returned from Mount Weather. She had quietly sent out a team to search for her, but they returned with nothing. Now that she knows Raven and Bellamy are cognizant of Clarke's whereabouts, she intends to get an answer.

"Raven, have you gone deaf? _Where is my daughter?_"

The mechanic practically shits herself out of fear, but nevertheless responds with a hint of attitude.

"Don't look at me, I'm still too injured to be harboring a fugitive!"

Bellamy can't help but laugh at this. Raven isn't one to claim that she _can't_ do something. But when Abby shoots him a deadly glare, he immediately stops laughing and earnestly answers her question.

"Abb- Chancellor, neither of us know where Clarke is, honestly. All we know is that she's somewhere in the woods with my sister. I'm sure that they're fine."

Abigail angrily replies, "You're _sure_? If you don't even know where they are, you can't be sure of anything! There are dangerous creatures out there, not to mention the grounders that left our people to die! If you have any idea where they might've gone, you'd better tell me now. If my daughter dies, you will never again see the light of day."

The tone Abby is using sets Bellamy off.

"Since when do you care whether or not Clarke dies? _You_ sent her down here without any knowledge as to if Earth was survivable! _You _sentenced her to death. And when Clarke didn't die, _we_, the 100, _we_ became her family. She did everything in her power to keep us safe from day one. Even when we defied her, she always had our best interest in mind. Don't you dare think for one second that I wouldn't do the same for her now! Not to mention, Octavia is out there too. I wouldn't let anything happen to her—to either one of them!"

By this time, people around camp are stirring. When it comes to defending himself and his friends, Bellamy doesn't have any volume control. He and Abigail are glaring at each other intensely, so only Raven notices the forming crowd.

"Not to interrupt the two of you from murdering each other with your eyes, but I think it would be best to bring this discussion inside the Ark."

Abby breaks eye contact first and looks around at the gathering of people. Bellamy follows suit.

"I'm done with this conversation anyway. I've made my point. Raven, if you need anything, I'll be around." Bellamy doesn't acknowledge Abigail as he walks away.

In an attempt to ease Abby's mind, Raven quietly says, "Clarke and Octavia are tough—they'll be able to handle themselves out there. For now, we just have to give them time and hope they're ready to come back soon." The mechanic walks away to go tinker with something in the makeshift lab—anything to get her mind off of the current situation.

The shocked Chancellor just stands there for a moment, drowning in a pool of worry about her daughter. She knows that the only thing she can do is look for Clarke on her own, but she also knows that getting herself killed would be of no help to her daughter. For now, she will wait. Though she presently despises him, Abby has to trust that Bellamy is right and Clarke is fine.

* * *

_The Bunker_

Octavia wakes up first. Clarke's arm is still wrapped around her, so the brunette doesn't move. She feels Clarke breathing against her back and thinks about the night before. She kissed Clarke. Octavia doesn't really know why she did that. Sure, the other girl is beautiful and strong and caring and intelligent and Octavia is definitely attracted to her, but she didn't _choose_ to kiss Clarke, it just happened. She's not upset about it though—she loved the way the blonde's lips felt, the way they tasted, against her own. Octavia closes her eyes and smiles at the recent memory. She's had feelings for Clarke for quite some time now, feelings that she pushed down after Tondc. But even when she wanted to hate Clarke, Octavia couldn't. She was definitely furious, and she acted like she hated the princess, but she really didn't. Something about the blonde just makes her feel…well, she can't exactly describe how Clarke makes her feel.

Octavia doesn't have any more time to think about it before Clarke yawns, signaling that she is awake. Octavia turns to face her and smiles at those grey-blue, sleepy eyes.

"What're you lookin' at, weirdo?" Clarke mumbles half-consciously.

"Not sure yet," Octavia replies with a laugh.

Clarke loves the sound of that laugh; she always had. There's something special about Octavia Blake, but Clarke can't put her finger on it. She thinks that everything about the other girl is special: her smile, her eyes, her heart, her strength, her tenacity, and _damn_—that jawline. But Clarke doesn't know why Octavia is so special to _her_. Whatever the reason, Clarke is happy. Having Octavia's forgiveness means everything to the sky princess. She may still be overwhelmed with regret, but at least now, when she is with Octavia, Clarke can escape those feelings.

"What exactly are _you_ looking at, hm?"

Octavia's question breaks Clarke from her thoughts. The blonde has been staring for longer than she realized, so she redeems herself with a bit of Octavia-style humor.

"Not sure yet."

Both girls laugh and lie in bed for another few minutes before Octavia says what is on both of their minds.

"We stink."

"I've noticed that the wilderness does that to you," Clarke replies sarcastically.

"To the creek?"

"To the creek."

The girls pull themselves out of bed, get dressed, and grab a few towels from one of the supply bins. Octavia then puts some small objects into her satchel and the two head out of the bunker and to the creek.

"So, you're sure there aren't any man-eating snake-monsters lurking around in there?" Clarke asks when they get to the water. She sets the question as a joke, but she is hoping for a serious answer.

"Nope!" Octavia laughs playfully, but she notices the look of worry creeping onto Clarke's face and appends her answer. "I'm just kidding, there's nothing out there. Indra told me which bodies of water to avoid and which ones are safe. This is one of the safe ones!"

Clarke smiles at Octavia's assurance and then takes her clothes off, _all _of her clothes. A smug look appears on her face when she notices the brunette's perfectly sculpted jaw hanging open. It's a role-reversal of their first time in the water of Earth—minus a few more articles of clothing and the near-death experiences, of course. Clarke makes her way to the middle of the creek, where the water isn't any deeper than four feet.

Octavia closes her mouth when she realizes how idiotic she must look, then she takes off her clothes, grabs the items she had put in her satchel, and wades out to Clarke, who promptly splashes her.

"What the hell, Griffin?"

"I just figured, 'what better way to eliminate the awkwardness of being totally naked than by splashing Octavia,' and I went with it."

"And you say _I'm_ a dork." Both girls laugh, and then Octavia hands Clarke a vial of liquid and a small packet of something that smells like lavender. "Soap and shampoo. I keep a supply in the bunker so nobody else steals it. Clean up, princess."

"How did you-"

"Indra taught me. Surprisingly enough, the Trigedakru value occasional cleanliness." Clarke nods at the response and starts bathing herself, and Octavia feels blood rush to her cheeks. She quickly turns around and starts washing her hair.

Clarke smiles to herself at Octavia's shyness. The brunette is usually the confident one, so seeing her blush is something new. Clarke loves it—so much so, that she decides to make the other girl a little more uncomfortable than she already is.

"The training that you did with Indra must've been intense. I mean, you are _really_ toned. And I know that isn't preexisting from your time spent on the Ark." Clarke moves closer to Octavia and lightly brushes her fingertips across the other girl's triceps before continuing. "I'm impressed, Octavia Blake."

Octavia shudders at the touch. She feels a sudden surge of warmth at her core and instinctively backs into Clarke. The blonde begins to kiss Octavia's neck. The brunette's breathing becomes heavy, wanting.

Clarke is wrapping her arms around the other girl's toned abdomen when she hears a cry of pain. It is barely audible, but Clarke doesn't miss it. She internally punishes herself for forgetting about the bruises.

"Are you ok?" Clarke turns Octavia to face her and sees tears welling in her eyes, which is an answer in itself. She knows that it's too soon for the grounder; too soon for both of them. She consolingly rubs Octavia's arm and then finishes bathing.

When they get out of the creek, the girls dry themselves off with the bunker towels and proceed to get dressed, during which Clarke speaks.

"We're both out here because we need some time, right? So let's give ourselves that time. We'll wait on this relationship stuff until we're ready, ok?"

Octavia finishes dressing and then looks at Clarke with a sly smile. "Relationship stuff? Don't get ahead of yourself, princess."

Clarke can't stop a wide grin from appearing on her face. The name that used to haunt her has taken on a new meaning since Octavia started using it. That girl is truly helping her heal.

"Let's just find some food and get out of here, you dork."

Warmth grows in Octavia's chest upon hearing the name Clarke has recently adorned her with. She smiles back at the blonde, incapable of hiding how much better she makes her feel.

The two girls start walking, thinking about how lucky they are to have found each other.


	8. Returned

**Author's Note:** School is killing me, but the semester is almost over! Then I'll have more time to work on this. So this chapter is super short and I'm really sorry for that, but I just wanted to let you all know I didn't forget this fic and I will keep working on it! Expect more over the weekend. For now, here's chapter 8.

* * *

"Are you sure you're ready?"

Going back isn't going to be easy, and Clarke knows that, but it's time. They've been gone for three weeks now. Because of the healing power of time (and Octavia), Clarke no longer cries herself to sleep, her nightmares have become far less intense, and she's sorted out many of her erratic emotions. Sure, she's not the same as before—she never will be—but she's ready. She wants to see Raven, Bellamy, Monty &amp; Jasper, and her mom. This is what's best for Clarke.

"Let's do this."

Octavia smiles at Clarke and takes her hand. The girls look at the gates of Camp Jaha and step out from behind the tree line in unison.

As they get closer, Clarke hears shouts from behind the gates.

"Clarke is back! Octavia and Clarke are coming back! They're okay!"

It's just after first light, so there aren't too many people awake around camp, but with all the shouting there is no doubt that the returnees will soon face a crowd of people. With this realization, Clarke slows her pace dramatically. Her heart starts racing, her breathing becomes irregular, and her hands start shaking. There's no retreating back to the woods now, there's no running to their safe space. She has to face this.

Octavia has come to know Clarke's anxiety well. She feels the blonde's hand shaking in her own and squeezes it tightly. She matches her pace. As they walk, Octavia turns her head to look at Clarke and offer her reassurance.

"You can do this. You _will _be okay. Just take slow breaths and hang on to me. I've got you. I love you, Clarke."

With this, Clarke becomes almost instantly calm. Nothing makes her feel better than Octavia's love for her. This isn't a romantic love, but a genuinely caring friendship sort of love. That's not to say that they don't love each other romantically, but right now that's not what they both need. Right now, as friends and family approach them, they need the supporting love.

"I love you too," Clarke whispers to Octavia with a smile before people are upon them. Octavia smiles back, knowing she succeeded in easing Clarke's mind, then turns to face the onslaught of sky people.

"Damn, O. It took you long enough," Bellamy says lovingly as he picks his little sister up and spins her around. He never wants to let her go again.

Octavia smiles widely at her brother and quips, "I knew you wouldn't survive much longer without me; I kinda didn't have a choice."

As Bellamy welcomes Octavia, Abby hastily approaches and hugs her daughter. "I'm so happy you're okay. I love you so much Clarke. Thank god you're ok. Thank you for coming back."

Clarke is definitely overwhelmed and is finding it hard to breathe in Abby's grasp, but she still manages to speak.

"I'm really happy to see you again, mom. It's so good to see you."

After what seems like forever, Octavia and Clarke are released from the grasps of their relatives. The first person to sweep them both into another embrace is Raven. The mechanic missed her best friends more than she can put into words. Sass-less words, that is.

"Dammit guys, before you disappear for another month maybe you could invite me or, I don't know, TELL ME."

"A month? More like three weeks," Octavia laughs as she hugs her friend.

"Well clearly it wasn't long enough to make you loose the attitude, Pocahontas." Raven smiles at Octavia and then focuses her attention to Clarke. "Glad you're back, blondie."

After the three young women finish greeting each other, the remainder of the original 100 and the other Ark survivors bombard Octavia and Clarke with hugs and questions. There are _a lot_ of questions. Both girls are struggling to maintain their composure and it's clear to Raven, Abby, and Bellamy that the prodigal daughters need some time to settle back in.

"HEY! Give them some room, people. They literally haven't even gotten into camp yet."

The crowd turns and looks at the open camp gate after Raven's comment. The mechanic is right, they're still about ten feet outside of camp.

"You two should head on in. Your tent is still where it was when you left, Clarke." Abby weakly smiles at her daughter. Though she is happy for the return, the doctor still harbors great worry for her daughter's wellbeing.

Clarke nods to Abby in acknowledgment and appreciation. Her mother didn't give up on hope for her return. The sky princess takes Octavia's hand, not worrying about what people might think, and they begin to walk into camp. Bellamy walks in front of them, clearing a path through the crowd of people.

As Clarke and Octavia walk through the threshold of Camp Jaha, they know that this is it. They're back.


	9. It's been a while

It's about noon and Raven is standing outside of Clarke's tent with a tray of food. Although Clarke and Octavia returned hours ago, they have yet to leave the tent. Abby went in earlier to make sure that they were physically and emotionally okay and Bellamy stopped by to remind O that he missed her beyond belief, but nobody else had seen the girls. As much as she tries to put on a tough-girl face, Raven has a soft spot for her best friends and she can't wait any longer to visit them.

"Hey, it's Raven. Can I come in?"

"Yeah, of course," she hears Octavia respond from inside.

When Raven walks into the tent, she notices Clarke lying on her bedroll staring into space and Octavia sitting backwards in a chair staring at Clarke. However, when Octavia turns and sees the food in Raven's arms, she practically flies out of the chair to get some of it.

Raven shakes her head at the other girl's ferocity. "I figured you two would be hungry."

"You're a saint." Octavia grabs some fruit off of the tray and sits on the ground by Clarke. "Eat something. It'll make you feel better."

"I'll pass." The blonde is melancholic, but sure in her response. Octavia doesn't like her stubbornness, so she persists.

"That wasn't a request, princess."

Clarke huffs, but sits up and takes an apple from Octavia, who smiles in satisfaction. The two girls stare at each other while they eat in silence, temporarily forgetting the presence of Raven, who has taken up residence in the chair that Octavia previously occupied.

"Not to interrupt your secret eye conversation, but I didn't just come here to bring food. I sorta missed you guys. Care to tell me about your time abroad?"

"Abroad? We weren't that far away," laughs Octavia as she breaks eye contact with Clarke and turns her attention to the mechanic.

"You see that's not something I would know. I'm not sure if you recall, but I was left out of the loop." Raven's comment may be filled with sass, but it is easy to sense the hurt behind it.

"I'm really sorry that we didn't say anything to you, but after everything that happened-"

"After Mount Weather…" Clarke interrupts, but then trails off as her mind wanders to the battle.

"You don't need to explain yourselves. I understand, really. If you don't want to tell me about what happened out in the woods, I get it."

Worrying that she'll further isolate her friend, Clarke provides a bit of reasoning. "Nothing _happened_. I just needed to not be around anybody, so I left. And then Octavia found me and she wouldn't let me be alone."

"You say that as if you didn't love having me around," Octavia quips.

Clarke flashes a complacent smile and then continues. "We basically spent the first two weeks talking and crying and struggling to deal with every emotion imaginable. The last week was quieter—I was trying to gauge if I was willing to come back, while O patiently waited for me to be ready."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't seem like you're really ready. You know, since you've been holed up in this tent all day." Raven offers the observation lightly, hoping not to upset Clarke.

"It's not that I'm not ready, it's just overwhelming. I knew people cared, but I wasn't expecting them to be so…inquisitive."

Octavia nods in agreement while Raven rationalizes. "You can't really blame them, though. Bellamy may have told me the truth about why you ran off, but everybody else was worried that you were kidnapped by grounders or something."

"Bell told you? Funny, he used to be quite the secret-keeper." O is clearly joking around, but Raven decides to explain why Bellamy came clean to her.

"When your brother came back to camp after you two went off on your own, he told everybody that he didn't find Clarke, but he did find you safe with Lincoln." Octavia immediately looks detached, but Clarke takes her hand and brings her back as Raven continues. "When I heard that, I flipped a shit and told him why we had to go and find you. That's when he told me the truth."

"So Bellamy knows about Lincoln?" Octavia asks quietly, focusing her gaze on Clarke's thumb rubbing circles on her hand.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. It seemed necessary to share at the time."

"I get why you told him. He was bound to find out anyway." Octavia looks up and offers a small smile, signaling to Raven that it really isn't a problem.

The conversation grows still for a moment, but Clarke breaks the silence and changes the mood. "So, how's our favorite mechanic?"

"A bit bored honestly. I was on bed rest for 24 hours when we got back from the mountain, so that sucked."

"Oooh a whole _day_!" Octavia mockingly interjects.

Raven throws her a side-eye and continues. "Anyway, once I was allowed to move again, Wick followed me around like I was a baby learning to walk. I'm lucky I managed to escape him for the few minutes a day that I could. Don't get me wrong, he's great and all, but DAMN sometimes an injured girl just needs to go for a jog."

Dr. Clarke raises an eyebrow. "A _jog_? I'm pretty sure your spine prevents your leg from being in jogging condition."

"Well add that to the list of things you missed around here, Griffin. Nobody knows why, not even Abby, but my spine is healing."

"Typical. Your body is just as stubbornly determined as you." Clarke's statement forces a laugh out of the mechanic. It's the first time the girls have heard her laugh since before Mount Weather. Things are really starting to normalize.

"Aside from me being a literal walking miracle, everything's been pretty lame around here. Everybody has been really down because of you two disappearing, so I've spent most of my time alone trying to salvage materials from the Ark. It's kept me busy, but I am honestly so fucking happy you guys are back."

With that, Raven jumps out of the chair and tackles her two best friends into a hug on the ground. All three start laughing hysterically, experiencing genuine joy for the first time in a while.

Clarke locks eyes with Octavia, then looks to Raven and speaks for the two of them. "We're so fucking happy to be back."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Here's another short one for you. I wanted to give the three main ladies a chance to reunite.

Please review, follow, and favorite! :)


	10. It's inevitable

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait! This chapter is a bit longer to hopefully make up for it! Please follow, favorite, and review :)

Without further ado, here's chapter 10.

* * *

The night of Clarke and Octavia's return was a quiet one; it was clear that the girls needed to settle back in first. However, now that it's been over 24 hours, the camp is loud and lit up by a rather large bonfire. There's another boar roasting on the spit (the sky people already devoured the first two), Monty's moonshine is being 'discreetly' passed around, and everybody is laughing and having a good time—except Clarke, that is. She's sitting around the fire with the Blake siblings and a few other friends. Despite the good company, Clarke is just pensively staring into the flames.

Whatever Clarke is thinking is disrupted when Raven plops down next to her and asks, "What's on your mind?"

Clarke breaks her eyes away from the fire to look at Raven when she responds. "It just puzzles me that you guys didn't see any grounders while we were gone. I mean, even Octavia and I didn't see them in the woods. I want to know why. Are they going to attack us? Lexa and I really connected for a minute there, but I'm still worried that she'd take us all out to prevent our retaliation."

"Slow down there, Griffin. First of all, have a drink." Raven hands Clarke a bottle filled with moonshine, which she stares at for a second before taking a big sip and almost vomiting, at which point the mechanic continues. "Small sips. You need to relax, not poison yourself. Anyways, we aren't planning on retaliating, last time I checked. Also, I think if the grounders wanted to attack, they would have done it already. I think Lexa may still value whatever 'connection' you have."

Clarke takes another swig of the alcohol as she watches Octavia, who is laughing at something Bellamy said. Clarke catches the eyes of the Blake girl and smiles, which prompts O to walk over to her. The blonde quickly responds to Raven to end their conversation. "That connection is long gone."

Octavia drops into Clarke's lap, forcing her to grunt. She then takes the bottle from the Griffin girl's hand and drinks. "So, what's the hot topic over here?"

"Your alcoholism, clearly," laughs Raven.

Octavia shoots her a glare, but she can't help it when her forced seriousness breaks into a grin. "It's only a problem if you _tell yourself_ it's a problem," she manages to slur out. Octavia adjusts her position in Clarke's lap so that her head rests on the blonde's shoulder and she has a good view of those "perfect eyes." The brunette blushes a little, realizing that her thought escaped her mind through her drunken, filter-less mouth.

Noticing the other girl's embarrassment, Clarke returns the compliment. "Yours aren't that bad either, dork."

Warmth buzzes through Octavia's body, and it isn't just because of the alcohol. She smiles at Clarke and closes her eyes. The blonde begins to pet her head and O drifts off.

Raven has been watching the girls interact over the past two days and her boozy mind finally puts the pieces together. After a few moments of silence, she looks at Clarke and asks a question to address the elephant in the room. "So. Do you need my help, or can you carry your girlfriend back to your tent alone?"

Clarke's eyes widen and her jaw drops open, taken aback by Raven's comment. "I uh…she's not…we're…" She lowers her head and looks at the girl in her arms, then mumbles to herself, "Shit."

* * *

Clarke is taking off Octavia's boots when the brunette stirs. She looks around and notices that she is laying on the bedroll in the blonde's tent. "Damn princess, you carried me all the way back here? I'm impressed."

Clarke laughs as she places the other girl's boots to the side. "Raven helped me out." She then sits Octavia up and takes off her jacket.

"I'm awake now, I can undress myself," Octavia chuckles.

"Good point." Clarke blushes a bit and begins to get up, but O quickly grabs her and pulls her back. Their faces are close now.

"I said I _can_ undress myself, I didn't say that I want to."

Though it only takes one second, it seems like a millennium before Octavia's lips are on Clarke's. The blonde gently weaves her hand through long brown hair and places it on the back of O's head, then pulls her deeper into the kiss. As Clarke's tongue finds its way to Octavia's, Octavia's hand finds its way under the hem of Clarke's shirt to the soft skin at the small of her back. She slowly brings her hand up to Clarke's bra, but before she has the chance to take it off, Clarke breaks away from the kiss.

With staggered breath Clarke speaks, "We can't do this."

"We can, Clarke. I'm ready, and I think you are too."

"No, I mean we can't have sex now. Not tonight. You're drunk and I'm not even sure what we are to each other. If this happens now, I'm just taking advantage of you. I won't do that O."

"I've wanted this for a while Clarke, don't you know that? When I kissed you in the bunker, what almost happened in the creek—I was sober then, and my feelings are even stronger now. Please, I want this."

Clarke's tone grows a bit frustrated now, "No! What even is _this_? Is it a relationship? A drunken fling? Nothing can happen." Octavia looks hurt by this, and Clarke internally chastises herself for the anger in her voice. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" At this point, Clarke is rather flustered. She quickly gets up and runs out of the tent before Octavia has a chance to respond.

The brunette sits and thinks for a minute, but her head starts to spin. She's still drunk and also very tired, so she bends at the will of her body and goes to sleep.

* * *

Clarke finds her way back to the bonfire. The celebrating goes on for a while longer, but one by one people begin to wobble back to their tents. The last people around the dying flames are Clarke, Bellamy, Monty and Harper.

The latter two teens are so deep in whatever conversation they're having that they almost don't notice the partying is over. Monty turns to Bellamy and Clarke and asks, "Where the hell did everybody go?"

"I think your moonshine caused everyone to turn in for the night," Bellamy scoffs.

Harper stands and holds out her hand to Monty. "Then I think it's time we turn in too," she says with a suggestive smile.

The grin on Monty's face seems almost unreal. He jumps up and says a quick "Bye guys!" before practically sprinting for his and Harper's tent.

Bellamy and Clarke are left laughing. "They became a 'thing' while the two of you were gone. It was inevitable, really."

"Good for them, they look happy." Clarke smiles, but her tone doesn't match her face.

"You know, Clarke, you deserve it too."

"What are you talking about?"

"Happiness—you deserve happiness. And love."

"Again I ask, what are you talking about?" Clarke knows exactly what Bellamy is trying to say, but she's worried that he's talking about her potential happiness with him, not with Octavia. She likes Bellamy, but not like that…

"Oh come on, it's so obvious that you like Octavia." Clarke lets out a sigh of relief at the mention of the Blake girl. Bellamy continues, "And I know her well enough to say that she certainly likes you too. She looks at you like a puppy and it's disgusting. It's so gross, but she likes you."

Clarke just looks at the ground. She thinks of the way Octavia looks at her, the way she feels when Octavia looks at her, and she can't help but smile.

"Nothing you did makes you less deserving of happiness in your life. From day one all you did was look out for everybody, so now I'm looking out for you. Just date my sister already, dammit."

Clarke laughs, but then offers Bellamy sincerity, "Thanks, Bell."

"Listen here, you break her heart and you're as good as dead." As much as Bellamy cares for Clarke, he is serious in his threat. His sister means more to him than anyone else.

"Duly noted."

"Well, now that we're on the same page, I'm going to bed. You should sleep too. Alone, by the way."

"No worries, your sister is too drunk tonight anyways."

"Oh my god, ok, I'm walking away now."

"Night, Bell!" Clarke snickers and begins to walk away as well, towards the Ark.

* * *

Clarke is standing in the doorway of Raven's workshop, watching her friend tinker with something. She clears her throat to alert the mechanic of her presence, which causes Raven to nearly fall out of her chair.

"You scared the shit out of me, Griffin."

"Sorry, I just wanted to see if you were awake; I figured that you'd be here if you were. Wanna chat?"

"Well I'm working on something right now, but talk away. I can't guarantee I'll listen though."

Clarke furrows her brow, confused as to why Raven is being so cold. She moves to sit in the chair on the opposite side of the mechanic's worktable. "Did I do something?"

"No." Raven continues to tinker, but this only proves to Clarke that she isn't being honest.

"I don't know what I did wrong, Raven. Everything was fine until you helped me carry Octavia back to my tent earlier. Is that why you're mad? Help me out here."

Raven puts her project down, exhales, and looks at Clarke. "I'm not mad at you. I just want to know why you didn't bother to tell me about you and O. I mean, I know you guys were gone for a while, but I thought we were still friends."

"We are! I didn't say anything because there wasn't…isn't anything to say. There isn't an 'us' right now."

"Don't lie to me, Clarke! I see the way you look at each other. I'm happy that you two are together, just don't lie to me."

"Raven I'm not lying! I swear. When Octavia and I were away, we kissed _once_ and we almost had sex _once_, but we were both far too emotionally unstable and decided to stick to friendship. And tonight after we brought her back it almost happened again, but it _didn't_. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I love her, but we really aren't together."

It takes a minute before either of them register that Clarke said she loves Octavia, but as soon as they do, Clarke turns a deep shade of red and Raven is grinning as wide as she was when she first stepped on land.

"You love her?!"

"I…I don't know…maybe?" Clarke buries her head in her hands and finally admits it to herself, and to Raven. "I love Octavia Blake."

"Then date her dammit! She obviously has it in for you too."

Clarke laughs, remembering what Bellamy said to her a little while ago.

Raven raises an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that you're not the first person to have said that to me tonight."

"Well in that case, I hope you realize that it's true." Raven pauses for a second to watch Clarke blush. "You said that tonight 'it' almost happened again, but it didn't. Care to explain?"

"You helped me carry her, form your own conclusion!"

Raven stands and begins to put her tools away. "Too drunk—fair enough. How about you sleep over at my place, then? It's a pretty cozy tent; it's waterproof _and_ it comes complete with blankets."

Clarke walks over to her friend and pulls her into an embrace. "Sounds like a plan, grease monkey."

Raven contorts her face and playfully pushes the blonde away. "Not that I don't love nicknames and all, but no."

"I'll think of something for you, but I suppose for now I can stick to calling you Raven…or Reyes…or Ray-Ray?" Both girls cringe. "Ok, Raven it is." They start laughing and leave the workshop to head towards Raven's tent and call it a night.

While they sleep, the only thing Clarke can dream of is Octavia.


	11. A new day

**Author's Note:** I AM SO SORRY. I always got bummed when authors took forever to update, but now I understand why! It's hard to write a fic, especially while finishing out a semester. My finals are done on Tuesday, so I'll definitely be updating again. Here's a small chapter until then!

* * *

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

Octavia groans and squints her eyes at the source of the voice; it's Raven. "I thought I was Pocahontas," she sleepily mumbles.

"Yeah, potato tomato. Let's go."

"I am too hung-over for this, Raven. The only place I'm going is back to sleep." Octavia rests her head back down on her pillow, only to have it promptly ripped out from under her. "What the hell?!"

"It's almost noon already and you've had plenty of time to sleep. You were away for weeks; you're having breakfast with me whether you like it or not. You do, however, have a choice in whether or not I'm dragging you there."

"Ugh, fine. Just get out of here and give me five minutes."

"Ok, but don't even _think_ about going back to sleep. If you're not out in five minutes Octavia Blake, then I am coming in there and it won't be pretty." Raven throws the pillow at the other girl and exits the tent.

Sure enough, Octavia emerges five minutes later, looking just as hung-over but with clean-ish clothes and slightly less bedhead. She covers her eyes with her hands, attempting to block out the blinding sunlight. "Is the sun always this bright?"

"No, it actually decided to shine even brighter today, just because it knew you'd be dealing with a hangover."

Octavia shoots Raven a look to show that her sass is not appreciated at such early hours. "Let's just get this breakfast thing over with so that I can go back to sleep."

Raven chuckles and comments, "Oh, that's cute. You think that you're off the hook after some measly breakfast! No way, you have a full day today."

"A full day? Doing what, may I ask?"

"No, you may not. Come on, Pocahontas." Raven starts to strut away.

Octavia rolls her eyes and reluctantly follows the mechanic. She knows something's up, but her head aches too much to even think about it.

* * *

After the two girls finished eating, Raven enlisted Octavia to help her with a project in the workshop. O hasn't really done much other than hand Raven a few tools, and half of the time they weren't even the right ones. After a while, she begins to get lost in her thoughts—her thoughts about Clarke. She may have been wasted, but Octavia remembers most of the night. The girl worries how idiotic she looked, throwing herself at Clarke the way she did…Clarke seemed so into it, but then she got mad. Why? Octavia hopes that the princess will understand that her actions were provoked by the moonshine—well, partly induced by moonshine, partly by her feelings. She'll leave that last part out when she explains it though. O hasn't seen Clarke all morning and is worrying that she ran off again when she finally hears Raven's voice break through her thoughts.

"Hello? Earth to Octavia! Can you hand me the calipers?"

"Sorry… What do you need?"

"Never mind, I'll just get them myself. Where's that head of yours?" Raven has a pretty good idea of what her friend is thinking about, but she wants to hear it from O.

"Mechanical things aren't really my forte, as I'm sure you've gathered."

Raven raises an eyebrow, dissatisfied with the response. She's about to bluntly analyze the younger girl's feelings for Clarke as she did with the blonde the night before, but instead Octavia speaks.

"I guess I'm just worried about Clarke. I somehow scared her off last night and I haven't seen her all day. If she ran again and it's my fault, then…"

Raven laughs slightly and Octavia shoots her a deadly, but also confused, look. "No need to worry! She was in my tent last night."

Octavia lowers her head as her heart falls to her feet. "Oh," she manages to whisper.

"God no, not like _that_. No, no, no. Sorry. She just stayed over because she was overwhelmed with whatever happened. Trust me, the girl is not my type." Raven smiles and puts a hand on Octavia's shoulder as she sees her relax. "Clarke had to meet with her mom, Kane and Bellamy, as well as do something…secretive. She wanted me to keep you busy."

"Secretive? What is this, the Ark?"

The girls pause for effect, but then burst into laughter. Raven checks the time and sees that it's about 2pm. She grabs a radio from the workbench and speaks into it. "Should I bring her over now?"

Octavia looks at the silent radio in anticipation, even though she isn't really sure what she's anticipating. After a moment, Clarke's voice breaks through.

"_Fuck it, I'm as ready as I'll ever be._"

Octavia looks from the radio to the mechanic. "Ready for what?"


	12. Alone time

"This is where I leave you!" Raven turns and walks back toward camp, which is still in view since the girls didn't walk far beyond the tree line.

"What am I supposed to do, just wait here?" Octavia yells after Raven, confused.

Raven whips back around, having totally spaced on the instructions Clarke had given her, "Oh, RIGHT! I was supposed to tell you to go to the creek. And you'll need this." She hands Octavia a pencil, which the younger girl accepts, not asking any questions. Knowing Clarke, its unlikely Raven would know the answers anyway.

"See ya later, Pocahontas." With that, Raven goes back to camp and Octavia starts the trek to the creek by the bunker.

With each step, Octavia's heartbeat speeds up. She looks at the pencil in her hand and wonders what on Earth she could need it for; she really just wants to know what Clarke is up to. After last night, after not seeing the blonde all day, Octavia knows that something is going on.

The brunette sees the woods thinning and knows that she is near the creek. All she can think about is Clarke, and that damn pencil in her hand. Because her head is still spinning from the remnants of a hangover and her mind is clouded by thought, O almost misses the sound of some twigs snapping behind her. As though by pure animal instinct, Octavia unsheathes her blade and turns so that it is pushed right up against the neck of-

"Clarke! You can't just sneak up behind me like that!" Unintentionally, O leaves the blade at Clarke's throat for a moment until the blonde slowly takes her hand and lowers it. Octavia is returning her sword to its sheath when she notices a small cut on Clarke's neck and dabs away the blood with her sleeve. "Sorry," she mutters.

"What's the apology for? The cut, or the fact that you're using my shirt to clean it?"

Octavia looks down to remember that the clothes she donned in the tent this morning did indeed belong to Clarke. With this realization, she retracts her arm.

The sky princess can't help but smile at the brunette beauty in her clothes. Not to mention, the shirt is already stained and worn from being recycled for years on the Ark, so Octavia's embarrassment is a bit humorous. "I was just kidding O, it's fine." She locks arms with the other girl and they finish the walk to the creek together. When they arrive, Clarke sits Octavia down on a rock by the water and proceeds to say, "I'm going to need that pencil now."

At the thought of an attack, O completely forgot about the pencil Raven had given her, the pencil she had been preoccupied with for the entire journey. She definitely dropped it when she went for her sword. _You had one job_, Octavia thinks to herself. "I think I lost it back in the woods," she admits aloud.

Clarke shrugs. "That's alright, I have more!"

"If you had pencils with you, why did you make Raven say that I needed one?"

"I just wanted to give you something to think about on the way here. Did it work?"

Octavia shakes her head and chuckles. "Yeah, it worked." She pauses for a moment and looks at the ground. She kicks at a pebble and then begins her long-thought-out apology for the night before. "Listen, about last night. I just wanted to ap-"

Before she could finish her thought, Clarke's lips crash into Octavia's. The blonde glides her tongue across O's lips and is immediately granted access. The kiss becomes so deep that Octavia is brought to her feet and she begins to push Clarke towards the nearest tree. With her back supported by the large trunk, the blonde lifts her legs to wrap them around Octavia's torso. The girls' tongues fight for power and heat surges through their cores. Overcome with a wave of passion, Clarke almost forgets why she brought Octavia here in the first place, but luckily (or maybe not so luckily), the girls need to break for air. Foreheads resting against each other and panting, the girls gaze desperately into each other's eyes.

"Let me draw you." Clarke blurts out before getting lost back in a heated kiss.

"What?" Fire still burning in her core, Octavia certainly is not prepared to end this moment.

Clarke realizes she isn't in the best position for O to think clearly, so she puts her feet back on the ground and moves away from the tree. Then she explains, "I guess it's kind of lame, but back when I was on the Ark, I would draw everything I dreamed about; mostly Earth. And since we came down here, I haven't really had much time to draw, or dream for that matter. But lately…lately you're all that I can think about and dream about. It's been driving me crazy because I don't feel like I deserve you and I don't want you to get hurt. Everybody I care about always ends up hurt or dead." Though she doesn't cry, tears well in Clarke's eyes, so Octavia moves to hold her hands. "I don't know what you remember about last night, but I ended up taking out my frustration on you. That's not what you deserve and I'm so, so sorry. Just know that, no matter whether we're friends or…more than friends, I care about you so deeply. More than that, I—"

"I love you too, Clarke Griffin."

The blonde laughs as a few tears escape her and then smacks Octavia's arm. "What the hell?! You stole the epic conclusion of my speech!"

"Well, true as it may have been, that was about the cheesiest thing I've ever heard. And dammit princess, God knows I can't let anything that cheesy and heartfelt last. And don't even worry about last night. You were trying to be your usual honorable self. Not that you even need my forgiveness, but you have it."

Clarke pulls Octavia into a hug and whispers into her ear, "You're a dork."

The brunette laughs and pulls back, walking to the rock that Clarke originally sat her down on. "So, are you gonna draw me before we grow old or what?"

A smile wider than Octavia has ever witnessed grows across Clarke's face. The blonde grabs a pencil and a sketchbook from her bag and begins to draw the vision sitting before her. She doesn't even need to tell Octavia how to pose because she is perfectly still, just staring at Clarke with passion in her eyes.

* * *

After a while, Clarke is almost done. It's been silent most of the time. Well, except for when Raven radioed in that she was worried Octavia didn't make it. Lost in the earlier moment, Clarke had forgotten to let the mechanic know that Octavia arrived safely. Since then, however, neither girl has said a word.

The brunette decides to break the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

Clarke chuckles, "You just did, but sure."

"Did you really need me here to draw me?"

"Like I said, you're all that I think about. I have a portrait of you engrained in my mind. So, no, you're presence wasn't necessary. But I wanted you here. I wanted to be around you."

Octavia laughs, "You know, you could've been around me back at camp. Not that I don't love not being able to feel my ass anymore after sitting on this rock though."

"There's always somebody 'there' when we're at camp. I like to think of this as our place."

Octavia blushes, but plays it off with some attitude. "If you don't mind, I'm not sitting on this fucking rock anymore."

"No problem, I'm basically done anyways."

As Clarke finishes up, O walks along the edge of the creek. She feels as though the smile on her face is going to be there permanently. The sky princess has an unrealistic effect on her. If she's being completely honest with herself, Octavia is a bit freaked out by it. However, she doesn't mind.

"Alright, you can look at it now," Clarke calls to the other girl. Octavia rushes over, but the blonde holds the sketchbook to her chest. "I have to ask _you_ something now."

"As long as I get to see the drawing; shoot."

Clarke hesitates for a moment, but then asks, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Octavia is certain her heart is going to explode. She grabs Clarke's head and pulls her into a short and passionate kiss, after which she replies, "Abso-fucking-lutely."

"And to finish what I was saying earlier, I love you Octavia Blake." Clarke places a soft kiss on Octavia's lips and then reveals the drawing. It's flawless in every way. O is beyond impressed, but she doesn't even need to proclaim it; her face says it all. Clarke picks up her bag and then radios in, "Hey Raven?"

It's only a few seconds before the mechanic's voice comes through. _"What's up Griffin? Are you headed back?"_

"No, actually. I just wanted to let you know we're going to camp out here, we'll be back tomorrow."

Octavia looks at Clarke and grins, excited to spend some more alone time with her girlfriend.

_"__So I take it she said yes?"_

Octavia takes the radio and responds to the question, "Indeed she did."

_"__I knew you would. Ok, well, I hope the sex is great and don't forget to radio in when you leave!"_

The girls laugh, but then another voice breaks through the radio. _"No! Keep your hands off my sister, Clarke!"_ Bellamy. There is no mistaking it.

The blonde decides to have some fun with this, so she radios back, "I can't make any promises. See you both tomorrow! Griffin, out." With that, Clarke shuts off the radio, takes Octavia's arm, and they walk back to the bunker—to _their_ bunker.


	13. With love and passion

**Author's Note:** I love all of you (and Clarktavia) so much, that I'm posting this next lengthy (in terms of what I usually write) chapter! It's the one I assume you've all been waiting for. Drumroll please…

BRACE YOURSELVES FOR SOME SEXY TIME. IT'S HAPPENING. RIGHT NOW.

* * *

"You know what I liked most about the weeks we spent out here?" Octavia asks as soon as Clarke opens her eyes the morning after they became a couple.

"What's that?" Clarke sleepily asks.

"Waking up earlier than you and staring at you while you slept."

"You're a creep." Clarke laughs and buries her head into Octavia's chest.

O pets Clarke's blonde head of hair and melts into the closeness. "Hey, we're dating now. And as my _girlfriend_, it's your duty to embrace my creepiness."

"I don't think that's how it works, but ok."

For the next few minutes, the girls just lie in each other's arms. Neither could feel more at peace. Clarke listens to Octavia's steady heartbeat, while the brunette feels Clarke's breath against the area of her chest that her low-cut shirt doesn't cover. Both girls are thinking the same thing.

"I love you." They say simultaneously. Clarke looks up into Octavia's eyes and starts to kiss her, but both girls start laughing into the kiss.

"This is so weird," Clarke chuckles, "Just being back here, but not avoiding our feelings for each other. It's weird."

"At least now it's the right time. We're ready for it."

Clarke looks down and plays with the hem of Octavia's shirt under the covers. "Yeah, I'm ready for it." She looks back up, and O instantly reads what the blonde means.

"Are you sure?"

Clarke nods. Octavia places a kiss on her cheek and turns the blonde on her back so that she is straddling her. Then she begins to kiss her way down the pale neck in front of her. The brunette bites a little bit at Clarke's shoulder, but she pulls back when the blonde grunts. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I liked that."

Pleased with the response, Octavia goes back to work. She lays kisses and small bites along the skin of other girl's shoulder as far as the shirt will allow her. Then, O rests her hands on the skin under Clarke's shirt and begins to slowly move upwards, pulling the clothing with her. Clarke lifts her arms and Octavia throws the shirt to the ground. Before she goes any further, she takes a moment to stare at the spectacle before her. Sure, she's seen Clarke naked before, but this is different. She traces a line from the clavicles down to Clarke's belly button, taking extra time to draw circles around her nipples. The sky princess moans, wanting more. Octavia gently leans in and teases Clarke's left nipple with her tongue and teeth, while using her thumb to circle the right.

Clarke is burning with desire. She slowly grinds her hips between Octavia's legs and hears the other girl moan into her chest. This only makes Clarke want her more, so she grabs Octavia's head and pulls her into a searing kiss. Clarke slides her tongue across the roof of Octavia's mouth, eliciting another moan. The blonde yanks off Octavia's shirt, desperate not to lose contact for too long; she is certainly not being as delicate as the other girl had been before. Still, she takes a moment to admire Octavia's flawless and toned body. The heated kiss continues, and Clarke leans so far into it that she is now straddling Octavia.

Not wanting to lose control just yet, Octavia flips Clarke back and once again climbs on top of her. As desperate as they both are, however, the blonde breaks their kiss.

"Do you know what you're doing?"

"I don't know," Octavia responds as she begins to kiss down Clarke's torso, "you tell me."

As much as she loves this and her body wants to erupt, Clarke pushes Octavia up and moves so she can look her in the eyes. "Seriously, O. Have you ever been with a woman before?"

Octavia's shoulders sink a bit, as she desperately wants to continue, but she knows her girlfriend won't let her until she gets an answer. "No," she mumbles, "I've only ever been with men…" she trails off for a second, but continues. "For whatever its worth, I did talk to Raven about this before—in case an occasion ever arose that I'd need to be able to fuck a girl."

"Wait, _our_ Raven taught you how to…by demonstration?!"

"_WHAT_? No, no. Basically she just told me to follow the golden rule: do unto her what I would want done to me. And she told me to listen. And then gave me some _very_ detailed descriptions of a few strategies."

"So I take it Raven's slept with girls before?"

"Honestly, I don't know. She just seemed like she would be knowledgeable. I never asked. What about you?" Octavia secretly wants Clarke to say no, but she is aware that anything could have happened on the Ark. She also didn't miss the glances that the princess had shared with Heda…

"I have, back on the Ark right before everything with my dad. I dated a girl for like a month. Harper, actually." Octavia's heart sinks a bit at the thought. If she didn't know who the girl was, as least she could picture somebody really fucking ugly. Clarke can practically feel O's heart drop, so she continues. "Anyways, we decided we're better off as friends. And we only slept together twice. There were no real feelings there, so both times it just didn't feel…right." Clarke glides her fingers up and down Octavia's arm, causing the other girl's heart to rise again. "This," Clarke continues, "this feels right."

"So…"

"So." Clarke echoes.

"How about I continue now?"

Clarke smiles and pulls Octavia back into their kiss and they struggle for the top position, but the brunette overpowers the princess and pins her back to the bed. She again kisses down Clarke's body and stops at her sweats, which she _very_ slowly removes.

"Octavia Blake," the princess warns.

O giggles, but quickly finishes removing the other girl's pants. She rubs her hands up and down Clarke's inner thighs as she spreads them apart to stare at the folds of wet pink flesh before her. In this moment, nervousness hits her. Sure, she got some tips from Raven, but this _is actually happening_. Octavia looks into Clarke's blue-grey eyes and receives a nod, signaling that it's ok. Gently, the brunette slides her index finger across the length of her folds for a moment, forcing rather loud moans, and then stops at Clarke's entrance. Octavia releases the breath she didn't know she was holding and glides her slender finger into Clarke.

The blonde grunts in approval and slowly thrusts her hips, guiding Octavia to the tempo she should meet. After a few moments of repeat motion, Clarke says with a slight chuckle, "You can add another finger, babe." Octavia does as she is told. "That's great, a little faster."

O picks up on Clarke's reactions rather quickly; she sets a fast, but not too aggressive, pace. Thinking about Raven's golden rule, Octavia uses her thumb to make circles around Clarke's clit.

"Fuck," the princess sexily exclaims.

Knowing now to put more focus on the bundle of nerves, Octavia lowers her head so her face is close enough to feel the heat from Clarke's core. Keeping the pace with her fingers, O slowly begins to swirl her tongue around her clit. As she takes it into her mouth and sucks on it, Clarke fiercely bucks upwards. Octavia now quickens the pace of both her fingers and tongue.

Clarke is on the edge and she pushes the back of Octavia's head further into her center so that the girl applies more pressure. Then, a slew of curses and moans escape her mouth. "Holy shit, Octavia. Fuck, keep going! I'm going to come…fuck. Fuck! Octavia!" As the brunette's name escapes her mouth, Clarke's entire being is overwhelmed with a searing orgasm. She's had intense orgasms before, but nothing close to this. Maybe it's just because of how much she loves Octavia, but that's really the only reason she needs.

There is no feeling Octavia has loved more than when she just felt Clarke's walls tighten around her fingers as the blonde screamed her name and held onto her hair. The girl doesn't remove her digits until the other girl comes down from the wave of passion she is riding. The brunette kisses her way back up Clarke's body, laying a few more bites on her neck and shoulders. Then, she rests herself atop of the blonde and passionately kisses her, this time with no power struggle—both girls melt at the will of the other.

After a moment of heavy breathing, Clarke speaks. "Remind me to thank Raven."

"Princess, that was all me." Octavia laughs, and Clarke joins her.

"I think it's your turn now."

"Well, I _am_ all hot and bothered," the brunette jokes (though it really isn't a joke).

Clarke shows a sly smile, and then takes control. She is on top of Octavia so quickly that the other girl can barely tell what is happening. Not wanting to push her over the edge with teasing, Clarke abruptly pulls Octavia's pants off and then matches their hips together. She assertively grinds their bodies together, Octavia moaning in approval. The sky princess slides a hand between the two of them and slips two fingers into Octavia's opening.

"Oh my god…" Octavia whimpers. As Clarke curls her fingers into Octavia's g-spot, the brunette gets an immediate head rush. "Faster, Clarke." The blonde obeys her demand and, in Octavia's manor, starts using her thumb to massage the other girl's nerve bundle. Octavia is going crazy as Clarke continues to fuck her while grinding their hips together; she reaches for the pillows behind her and grabs on for dear life.

The first orgasm hits O like a huge wave and causes her to scream in ecstasy, but Clarke doesn't cease in her efforts to further please the brunette girl. Instead, she moves so that her head is between O's thighs and begins to eat her out. She sucks and licks and gently bites at her clit, Octavia's hips rising far off the bed. Clarke moves with her, and even enters her tongue into the opening. As the tsunami of a second orgasm hits her, Octavia cries out again. "Holy fuck, Clarke! Shit!"

As Octavia comes down from her orgasm, the princess laps up the juices and then moves away from her center to kiss her girlfriend passionately. She notices the other girl slowly release her grip on the pillows as she moves to embrace Clarke, causing the blonde to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Octavia frowns.

"I may be a princess, but babe, you're a pillow queen."

Octavia makes a puzzled look that causes Clarke to laugh more, so the brunette takes one of the pillows and covers her face with it. The blonde loses it at this point, so Octavia angrily yells into the pillow. "What does that even mean?!"

Clarke composes herself and lifts the pillow to insert her own face between it and Octavia. "It means that there's just one more thing to love about you, dork."

O blushes and pecks Clarke on the lips, then throws the pillow covering their heads to the side. They lie naked in their embrace for a while, sharing an occasional kiss and endless stares. Eventually, it is Octavia who rises and brings the other girl to her feet. They share a long, warm hug before getting dressed, gathering their things, and heading back towards camp.

* * *

The girls enjoy a peaceful journey, holding hands the entire way, sharing quick and loving glances. Everything is perfect.

It isn't until they reach the tree line that Clarke realizes she forgot to turn the radio back on last night. That was definitely a big mistake, for what she sees outside of Camp Jaha could be a major problem. She squeezes Octavia's hand tightly. Both girls are frozen.

Grounders.

* * *

**_Follow, favorite and review, loves!_**


	14. Grounders

**TRIGGER WARNING **FOR THIS CHAPTER: **Self-injury** \- It is not what you might think, and has nothing to do with self-hate. It is part of a ritual and is very brief/not gory. I just wanted to warn you.

**Author's Note: **Translations for the Trigedasleng will be at the end of the chapter! Also, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites! As a reward, this is the longest chapter yet.

WithinTheFandoms - Maybe you'll find out about Raven in chapter 15 ;)

* * *

"What the hell are they doing here?" Octavia asks angrily, still frozen in her position.

Clarke doesn't even speak. She is suddenly hit by a wave of emotions and wants to curl up into a ball and die, but she can't and she won't. She knows well enough that if the grounders are there, they are expecting to talk to a leader—not Abby or Kane. They want to see Clarke. The sky princess makes eye contact with Octavia then looks to her sword as a way of silently saying _be ready for anything_. When O nods in understanding, the girls force their legs to move quickly toward camp.

As they get close to the horses and warriors surrounding the gate of Camp Jaha, both girls are on high alert—they know that there are probably grounders hidden. They know that there were probably grounders following them in the woods. They aren't going to kill them right now, but one wrong move and the sky people will be finished.

"Gon we _nau_."

The grounders turn to see who dared demand them to leave. Octavia stands strong; ready to kill the person that crosses her.

One of the larger grounders steps forward and chuckles—he dwarfs Octavia. "Shof op, Okteivia kom _Skaikru_," he mocks and pushes her slightly.

The brunette barely falters, but she growls under her breath and begins to reach for her blade, but then a voice comes blasting through the crowd.

"Em pleni! Let them pass." The large man facing Octavia ducks his head and moves to the side. Following suit, the grounders part and form a pathway to the gate. Facing Octavia and Clarke on the opposite end of the path is none other than Commander Lexa, Indra at her side.

Without hesitation, both girls walk towards them. They see that Abigail, Kane and a few guards are directly on the other side of the gate, and many of the sky people are looking on from a distance. Once Clarke is face to face with the leader of the grounders, she begins to question why on Earth she isn't just running away. However worried she might be, Clarke opens her mouth to speak.

But Lexa interrupts. "We were awaiting your arrival before entering your camp, Clarke."

"What can I do for you, Commander?" Clarke is calm in her speech, but her eyes are filled with fury. She knows better than to speak this fury, for the grounders would certainly have her head. However, the anger in her eyes is not something that Lexa misses.

"I want to discuss the terms of our peace."

_What peace? _Clarke thinks to herself. _Was it an act of peace when you abandoned us on Mount Weather? _She does not say these things aloud, but it is clear that both Octavia and Lexa can hear them. Octavia is about to speak them, but Clarke puts her hand out to stop her.

"We can talk inside, but only you. Everybody else will remain outside of the gates."

Indra, who has been silent to this point, steps forward to spit venom at Clarke, but Lexa does not allow her to. Instead, the tattoo-faced woman mumbles something in Trigedasleng to her heda—almost certainly a request to kill the girls.

Noticing the hostility from Indra and many of the other grounders at her proposition, Clarke makes an amendment. "If it would make your people feel better, you can bring two warriors to stand guard outside of our meeting room."

Lexa looks to Indra and another of her warriors, one Clarke does not recognize, then looks to Clarke in agreement.

The sky princess turns to her people. "Open the gate." The guards do as told and the five of them enter Camp Jaha. Kane and Abigail walk by Clarke's side to the Ark a few feet in front of everybody else, so they can speak to the young woman.

"I think you're making a foolish decision to speak with her like this Clarke. At the Commander's word, everybody here is done for." The first words of council come from Marcus. Clarke pays no mind and continues walking.

"He's right, Clarke. If you won't listen to him then listen to me—this is not a good idea. These people will kill all of us before we can beg them not to. Even with our guns, we're vastly outnumbered."

Determined, Clarke keeps her eyes straight ahead when she responds. "I know the risks, thank you. If they're going to kill us, they will. It doesn't matter what happens when I speak to Lexa. I am the leader of our people, so this is the best chance we have."

"You are not the leader, Clarke! You are a child!" her mother scolds.

Clarke stops the former council members in their tracks, and those following them stop as well. Clarke speaks in a quiet, but fierce tone to both of them, placing extra focus on Abby. "This is not a conversation we are having now. Regardless of whether or not you recognize it, I _am_ a leader. And right now, you need to listen to me and stay out here to protect us."

Kane has come to believe that leaders prove themselves worthy, so he nods once to acknowledge Clarke's wishes and takes a step backward. Abigail, however, stays put.

"Leader or not, I am your mother and I will not be spoken to that way," Abby bites back.

Clarke looks around and spots Miller and his father among their people. She calls for them and they come to her side. "Make sure she stays out of the Ark." They nod in understanding and then Clarke turns back to Abby. "We will talk about this later." Her mother huffs and walks away, followed by her temporary keepers and Marcus.

Clarke walks more quickly now, and Octavia jogs up beside her.

"You alright?"

"Never better," the blonde says flatly.

When they reach the meeting room, Octavia moves to enter with Clarke, but she is stopped. "Are you sure you want to be in there alone?" she whispers to her girlfriend.

"I'll be ok. I love you." Clarke unexpectedly presses a light kiss to Octavia's lips. Indra laughs, but nobody acknowledges her.

"I love you too," Octavia whispers.

Clarke enters the room and Lexa follows. O takes guard position directly in front of the doorway with the grounder warriors on either side of her, all ready to rush in at a moment's notice.

* * *

When they are in the meeting space, Clarke throws her bag down in the corner and turns to face Lexa, who has propped herself against a wall.

"How are you, Clarke?"

"Let's skip the formalities, okay? Just tell me what you want, Lexa." Clarke's calm tone from earlier is gone now, for she does not fear Lexa alone.

"I want your people to be safe."

"Wow, that's funny, it didn't seem that way when you left us all to die at Mount Weather!"

"I did not think you would be stupid enough to enter the mountain alone!"

"Well, I did go into the mountain. And I killed everybody in there. Every innocent man, woman, and child in there is dead because you abandoned us at that mountain—because you abandoned me."

"There were no innocents in that mountain! They spent years killing my people and they had begun to kill yours! Can you not see that, Clarke? Jus drein jus daun."

"Plenty of the people in there refused to receive the treatments and the children had no clue what was even going on. You have no regard for the lives of others, Lexa! You choose to let everybody die!"

"As do you, Clarke. Those who die in my wake die for the greater good of my people. You killed the Mountain Men to protect yours." Lexa is now speaking calmly, but with deep meaning in her voice to match her words.

"Unlike you, I feel for the people that die. Lives should not be ours to take as we please."

"Nevertheless, we take them. We do what we have to in times of war. To care for the lives of those who stand in the way of your people is ignorant."

"So is it then ignorant for me to care for the lives of your people, Lexa?"

"Maybe it is. But as you know, I am here to discuss the fates of both of our people."

"You know as well as I do that you vastly outnumber us. There's no reason for you to ally with us."

"I disagree, your people have advanced healing rituals that could aid my people. You were able to bring back a reaper, and I have seen your injured heal. We need your medicines and you need our protection."

"The only things we need protection from are your clans, apparently," Clarke jeers.

"Don't be childish, Clarke. If you want the Skaikru to survive, which you certainly do, then you need to ally with the twelve clans."

"I'm pretty sure the twelve clans aren't so eager to ally with us."

"The leaders recognize your plan to save both of our people at the Mountain as a sign of peace. If you can agree to work with our healers, then you will be safe." Lexa moves close to Clarke, getting very much into her space. The sky princess, not losing eye contact with Lexa, takes a step back to realize that there is a wall directly behind her. The Commander continues, "I want you to be safe, Clarke." As the grounder leader moves in to kiss the blonde, Clarke ducks out of the way.

"Maybe you're not as perceptive as I thought, but I don't have feelings for you. Not anymore. And don't forget your motto…"

"Hodnes laik kwelnes," they say together.

Lexa backs away slightly. "Maybe I was wrong. You appear stronger with love, with Octavia."

"I am." Clarke's reply is honest, but does not show vulnerability.

"Good. You will need that strength should you refuse this alliance." Lexa is back to business in an instant.

"Just give me a second to think, Commander." Clarke sits herself in a chair on the side of the room. There are so many things to consider about Lexa's proposition. Clarke knows that the conditions need to be more clear-cut. She thinks for a few moments, and then rises.

"When the Ark fell from the sky, it broke into pieces. We think there are more survivors on Earth, but we have yet to locate them. If we make peace, they need to be a part of it, regardless of whether or not any of our known leaders are with them." Lexa nods her head once in approval. Clarke proceeds, "And as much as my people and yours do not wish to be in Mount Weather, I think it should serve as a treatment center. When the Ark fell, we lost a lot of our supplies and technology, but the Mountain has what we lost. The doors to the outside of the mountain should be removed, because nobody will be locked in there again."

"I cannot guarantee that my people will agree to enter the Mountain, nor can some of the elderly endure the journey, so your healers must be willing to come to our villages and cities as well."

"I'll see to that. If they won't leave to treat your people, then I will." Clarke thinks for another moment. "If our doctors are going to work with your healers and aid your people, then we need you to provide education to us. We need your medicines just as much as you need ours. We need to know more about the nature of the ground."

"That is reasonable. Since he is already well-acquainted with your people, Lincoln can aid in their training."

"Lincoln? He's a traitor to you, and to us as well."

"He is not here at your camp?"

"No. And he will _not_ come back."

"Then I shall assign others to train your people. I would like to make clear that, unless there is present danger, your people are not to use their guns around mine. If you can agree to that, then I believe that is all."

Pleased with the conditions, Clarke nods her head. The leaders decide to go outside and address their people separately and then seal the alliance in front of them all. Lexa explains the ritual of sealing an alliance so that Clarke is prepared. They exit the Ark and Clarke gathers her people within the gates, while Lexa exits to speak to hers.

* * *

With Octavia by her side, the sky princess explains the conditions. She notices the absence of Raven and Bellamy, but pushes it to the back of her mind for now. Having full trust in their leader, the sky people all speak words of agreement amongst themselves as the blonde fills them in. The only person to leave while Clarke is speaking is her mother. Hurt as she may be, Clarke doesn't think much of it.

After the Heda finishes addressing her people, the gate opens and Clarke meets Lexa at the threshold. The sky people and grounders gather closely around.

"Kom jus oso glong disha hukop raun." Lexa draws her knife and cuts open her right hand, then reaches for Clarke's. Before it is cut, Clarke echoes the Commander's words in English.

"With blood we join this alliance." The blonde does not flinch as her hand is cut open, but she does shudder internally when she must join hands with the commander. Who knows what illnesses she could contract? It doesn't matter to Clarke now, for at this point an alliance is the only crucial thing.

In true grounder fashion, shouts arise from the crowd as the women join hands. The sky people gasp initially, disgusted and slightly shocked, but then join in the shouting. The Skaikru and Trigedakru work together to prepare a celebratory feast.

* * *

For most of the party, Clarke donned a smile and participated, but soon enough she took Octavia's hand and pulled her into the Ark meeting room where she was with Lexa earlier.

When they get inside, O wraps her arms around her girlfriend and they stay in a silent embrace for a moment.

"O, did I do the right thing?"

The brunette rubs her thumb against Clarke's cheek. "You've been making decisions to protect us from day one, and something tells me this decision wasn't any different. So yeah, I think you made a good call. Do you trust her?"

"Not really," Clarke laughs a little, and Octavia brings her back into the hug.

"Then I guess we'll just have to keep an awfully close eye on them." She plants a kiss on Clarke's forehead and then backs out of the hold. "Speaking of keeping an eye on people, have you seen Raven and Bell?"

"No, actually. Earlier when I was addressing our people I noticed that they weren't there, but I pushed it back to focus on what I was saying. I'm so sorry O, I should've gone looking for them." Clarke feels a pang of guilt in her chest as she speaks.

"Babe, don't apologize. I'm sure they're fine. But just in case, do you have that radio from yesterday?"

The radio. Clarke knows she left it in her bag, but she can't remember where she put the bag. "Duh," the blonde exclaims as she smacks her forehead and walks over to the bag in the corner of the room. She shuffles through and finds the radio, which is still off. Clarke tosses it to Octavia, who flips the switch and calls into it.

"Bellamy? Raven? If you can hear me, please let me know."

_"Octavia? Where the hell are you? Are you ok?" _Bellamy's voice rings through and both O and Clarke exhale in relief.

This time Clarke speaks into the device. "We're back at Camp Jaha, we forgot to turn the radio back on after last night. Is Raven with you?"

_"I'm here blondie, don't you worry." _Another simultaneous sigh of relief from the girls.

"Where are you guys?" Octavia asks.

_"Looking for you dumbasses, actually. Ow! Give it-" _The girls can't help but laugh as they hear Raven and Bellamy fighting over control of the radio.

_"When the grounders showed up, we thought you might be in trouble and snuck out of camp. Were they still there when you got back? You still haven't told me if you're ok."_

"We're fine, Bell," Octavia says reassuringly. "Our Clarke is quite the leader." She smiles at her girlfriend, who blushes before taking the radio.

"Listen, it's dark now-"

_"Thanks, we couldn't tell," _Raven interrupts.

"Anyway, do you have an idea of where you are?"

_"We're far enough out that we'll have to camp out here for the night and start back at daybreak." _This time it's Bellamy talking. Octavia takes the radio from Clarke and decides to pull a Raven.

"I hope the sex is great and radio in when you're on your way back!"

_"Don't even, Pocahontas. The first part definitely isn't happening so, unlike you, we won't be forgetting the second part."_

Before there is radio silence, Clarke offers some parting words. "Get home safe, you two. If you come across grounders, there's an alliance in place now. That doesn't mean you should let your guard down, though."

_"Got it. You go girl, making peace and all. See you tomorrow! Reyes, out."_

_"Blake out too!" _Bellamy shouts in the background.

"Speaking of peace," Octavia turns her attention to Clarke's hand, "aren't you worried that your little blood-treaty caused you to contract some flesh-eating disease that'll melt your or-"

Clarke puts her finger up to Octavia's mouth. "I don't even want to think about it."

"Maybe you should take some time to consider the consequences of that blood swap."

Clarke and Octavia turn to see Dr. Griffin standing in the doorway.

"I'm surprised you even know about it considering that you ditched halfway through your daughter's speech." Octavia certainly barks as hard as her bite.

Not taking her eyes off of Clarke, Abigail responds with a pompous attitude. "Well Ms. Blake, thankfully Jackson filled me in. Regardless, I would like to run a test of your blood, Clarke."

"I'll pass." The blonde simply stares at her feet and takes Octavia's hand.

"Bear in mind that a contracted illness can be passed on to those you care about."

Clarke looks to Octavia, who shrugs. Silently saying, _might as well_. The blonde kisses Octavia on the cheek and walks over to Abby. "Let's make this quick."

* * *

After taking some blood samples, Abby is cleaning up and covering Clarke's wound. They haven't spoken a word this entire time.

"You're good to go. I should have your results within 24 hours."

The younger Griffin begins to walk out of the med bay, but is stopped by her mom speaking again. She doesn't turn around, but she listens intently.

"You know, Clarke, when you were little you were always leading. When you and your friends played make-believe, you would be the Chancellor. When your class went on a tour of the Ark, you were the line-leader. You always made sure everybody was all right and you never felt comfortable having more than others. You have always been so much like your father, and I hate myself every time I see you acting more like him; because you're right, it's my fault that he was floated. And I can never be sorry enough. You can rightfully hate me forever, but know that I love you very, very much. And I will try my best to respect your decisions as a leader."

With tears welling in her eyes, Clarke remembers seeing her mom strapped to the table in Mount Weather. That moment revealed how much Clarke really needed her. And when she initially returned to Camp Jaha with Octavia, her mom had made sure that Clarke's tent stayed in its place. Despite her shortcomings, her mother is truthful in what she now says. When Clarke exhales, the weight of some of her emotions escape with it, causing her to burst into tears. Abigail walks over and brings her daughter into a motherly embrace.

"I love you Clarke," she cries into the young woman's shoulder. "I love you."

A few moments later, both Griffins calm down and sit down next to each other on a table in the med bay.

"I have to ask; when did you and Octavia start dating? I never got a chance to give my 'mother's seal of approval' after all."

Clarke turns her head and begins to laugh, wiping the last of her tears from her now puffy eyes. Abby laughs too and wraps an arm around her daughter. The Griffins spend the next hours talking about Clarke's new girlfriend (actually, about the million reasons Clarke loves her new girlfriend). They only end their conversation and go off to bed when dawn breaks.

* * *

_Gon we nau. _– Leave now.

_Shof op, Okteivia kom Skaikru. _– Quiet, Octavia of the sky people.

_Em pleni!_ – That's enough!

_Jus drein jus daun._ – Blood must have blood.

_Hodnes laik kwelnes._ – Love is weakness.

_Kom jus oso glong disha hukop raun._ \- With blood we join this alliance.

**_As always, I appreciate the favorites, follows, and reviews! Feel free to leave criticisms! I'm always looking to improve :)_**


	15. Walks and talks

**Author's Note: **Thanks to all the new favorites and follows! Keep 'em coming ;)

WithinTheFandoms – Thank you for the correction; I just changed the translation! I actually meant to write it as "quiet," but I was typing the translations quickly to release the chapter and got a little mixed up. Much obliged!

* * *

"Clarke. Hey, Clarke. Wake up, love." Octavia runs her fingers through blonde locks, coaxing the other girl out of sleep.

"What time is it?"

"A little after 10. I know you've only had only a couple of hours to sleep, but we don't want to make ourselves look bad with this new alliance by having a leader who sleeps until the late afternoon." Partly joking, Octavia plants a kiss on Clarke's forehead and tries to pull her out of bed, only to be yanked back to the blonde's face.

"I think I'm going to need a bit more motivation than that." Clarke says seductively, leaning in, but Octavia jumps away.

"Bitch, now I _know_ you're awake. Get your ass up and then you can kiss me…maybe."

Clarke groans and reluctantly stands up and gets dressed. Octavia laughs maniacally as she denies Clarke a kiss yet again, but grants her a small peck on the cheek when she sees those desperate eyes. The sky princess walks with Octavia to where the Commander is waiting.

"Heda," Octavia bows her head in respect.

Clarke follows suit, but with a quicker bow and use of the English, "Commander."

"Octavia. Clarke. Walk with me."

"Both of us?" Octavia asks, very much surprised.

"Yes, both of you. I would otherwise not have stated your name."

Clarke can't help but chuckle under her breath, causing Octavia to pinch her side. This elicits a quiet "ow!" from Clarke.

Lexa turns around with a look of devout seriousness and asks, "Is there a problem?"

"No, Heda. My apologies." Octavia bows her head and begins to follow Lexa. Clarke comes up beside her and they walk in time with the Commander.

Once they are further away from the noisy center of the over-crowded camp, Clarke speaks. "So what's the purpose of this little stroll?"

"It is imperative that both of our people see us associating with one another, especially now in the early stages of the alliance. My people need to see that the two of you are fit leaders."

Octavia stops in her tracks. "Hod op, Heda. I am _not_ a leader. I'm the girl that lived under a floor for sixteen years."

"What would provoke you to live beneath the floor, sky girl?" Lexa asks confusedly.

"Never mind, that's not the point. Clarke is the leader of our people, not me."

"Are you not Clarke's chosen mate?"

"Mate's awfully strong this early on. We're just dating."

Lexa is clearly puzzled and contorts her face, so Clarke clarifies. "Our people have a much more informal way of choosing our…mates. 'Dating' is a period of time before people choose to get married. And to be married is to be joined to one another for life."

"I see." The Commander continues to walk and the girls follow, exchanging a quick, humorous glance. "I think it is important that the two of you come to Polis for a short time. Since it is the capitol city, we hold most of the alliance meetings there."

"When exactly should we be going?" Clarke asks.

"Before the next full moon."

Octavia is the one contorting her face now. "Who the hell knows when the next full moon-"

"It's about three weeks from now, O."

"Though my people are not near us in this moment, I would advise you not to find comfort in using such a tone with me, Octavia."

"Sorry Heda."

Clarke smiles at her girlfriend and takes her hand. She really is so cute when she gets reserved after giving the Commander attitude. It just makes Clarke want to hold her and never let go.

"I will allow you some time to decide when you will be making the journey, but my people and I will depart tomorrow at dawn. I expect an answer by then."

"Ok. Is that it, Lexa?"

"Yes Clarke, that is all."

The sky girls walk back to their tent, where Clarke promptly drops to her bedroll and O sits beside her.

"Not that I didn't love you pulling me out of bed for that lovely, sunny walk, but I'm taking a nap. Don't wake me up for another fifty years."

"If you're out for that long, I can't promise I won't move on, princess."

"Maybe you would move on…" Clarke pulls Octavia close, so her lips rest gently against the brunette's ear. "…but you'd never again cum the way you did the other night."

Octavia gulps hard as all of the heat in her body rushes to her core. She feels Clarke's lips trace kisses from her ear to the edge of her own mouth, but the blonde pulls away before their lips have a chance to interlock.

"Now leave me be so I can sleep." The blonde drops her head to her pillow and shuts her eyes. O flicks her nose for getting her all hot and bothered, but then plants a soft kiss on Clarke's cheek and exits the tent, grabbing the radio on the way.

* * *

"Octavia?"

The brunette turns from where she sits in Raven's workshop to see Abby standing in the doorway. "What can I do for you, Dr. Griffin?"

"That's a little formal, isn't it?"

"Are you not a doctor?" Octavia asks rhetorically as she turns back and fiddles with the radio.

"Did Clarke not tell you that we worked a lot out last night?"

"Not that it's your business, but we haven't really had a chance to talk today. But even if she had told me, I still wouldn't be your biggest fan."

"That's warranted."

"Is there something you needed? I was enjoying the quiet."

"Sorry, I'll be on my way. But know that I came here to thank you."

Octavia wants to just let Abby leave, but curiosity gets the better of her. "Thank me for what?"

"For taking care of my daughter when I failed to. There is something very different about Clarke when she's with you, even just when she speaks about you. I'm glad and grateful that she has you as her girlfriend."

"When did she speak about-"

"Like I said, we talked last night. I pieced together that you were a couple, but then she gave me about a million reasons why she loves you before I told her we both had to get some sleep."

"Gotcha," Octavia says nonchalantly. However, on the inside her heart is swelling. She knows Clarke loves her, but it's special to hear that her girlfriend would talk about her for hours, not even considering that Octavia would ever find out.

"Well, I have to go to the med bay and check on a few of the tests of Clarke's blood. Everything's been fine so far, in case you were wondering."

Octavia nods in acknowledgement and Abby exits. The young woman continues to toy with the radio in front of her, but she's really looking right through it. _At least she knows she totally failed as a mother_, Octavia thinks to herself. _Maybe she's not as bad as I'm making her out to be. Maybe she is. I love Clarke, that's what matters. Clarke loves me. I wonder what she said about me… I wonder if she told her about what happened in the bunker the other—no. No, there's no way she would… shit I need to talk to Clarke. _

Her thoughts trail on for quite some time. It's not until a voice blares through the radio (whose volume O accidentally turned all the way up while fidgeting with it) that Octavia jumps out of her mind and back into the real world. She quickly turns the volume nob down and calls back into it. "Bell? Raven?"

_"__Hey O, Raven and I are almost back. Do you wanna meet us at the gate?"_

_"__What Bellamy means to say is, do you want to make sure no grounders kill us on our way in?"_

"I'm on it! But I gotta say, I'm shocked you didn't remember to radio in when you started back. We could've sent out another search party for all you know."

_"__Don't even, Pocahontas."_

_"__It's called pausing for dramatic effect, O."_

"Whatever you say, Bell. See you guys in a bit."

* * *

"So, where's our favorite keeper of the peace?" Bellamy asks once safely escorted past the grounders.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you and blondie aren't off doing it somewhere."

Bellamy glares at Raven and makes a vomiting gesture, while Octavia gives her the we-need-to-talk look and laughs. "Don't be so overdramatic, Bell."

"Don't talk to me about overdramatic, O. Remember when-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but as much as I love stirring up Blake sibling drama, Octavia promised to teach me grounder-speak. So…"

"It's Trigedasleng, but yeah. The sooner we start the better. There's a lot of _ground_ to cover."

Bellamy rolls his eyes at the ridiculous pun. "I sometimes question if we're actually related. I'm out of here."

As her brother starts to walk away, Octavia calls after him. "Clarke is in our tent, by the way. She'll probably wake up soon if you still want to see her!"

Bellamy alters his route to go see Clarke and the girls head over to the workshop. Once they arrive, Raven notices that a few things are out of order and immediately begins re-organizing.

"If I had known you were such a neat freak, I wouldn't have poked around in here," Octavia says while picking up a metal-ish thing off a table to look at.

Raven turns and sees this, walks over, and plucks the object out of her hand. "At least I know it was just you." She puts the piece back in its place and continues. "This room is to me what that hidden forest location is for you and Clarke. I can come here and just work out my thoughts, both figuratively and literally. I like to keep it a certain way because it's kind of like a physical representation of my mind. And that's something that I'm, like, desperate to organize."

"Well, I'm flabbergasted by how deep that was."

"And I'm flabbergasted that you just used the word flabbergasted."

O smiles at her best friend. "Speaking of words, that was quick thinking with the whole language lessons excuse."

"It was the only excuse I could think of that wouldn't cause him to hurl."

Octavia makes a puzzled look, but then edits her expression with words. "Never mind, I don't even want to know."

"So what's this secret conversation about anyways?"

"Sex."

"Did you and Clarke?" Raven half-asks the question. Octavia blushes a little, but smiles and nods her head. "Octavia Blake, are you blushing?"

The younger girl's cheeks become even redder. "Shut up," she says as she punches Raven's arm playfully.

"How was it?" the mechanic asks without hesitation.

"Amazing." Octavia is suddenly far less shy. "Way better than any other time, that's for sure. Clarke totally lost control for a while which was beyond sexy. And the way she screamed my name when I…"

"Whoa girl, let me leave some of it to my imagination."

"Raven!" Octavia is a little shocked by the statement, but figures that it's the perfect segway. "You don't actually imagine me and Clarke fucking…do you?"

Now Raven is blushing, but she quickly suppresses it. Raven Reyes doesn't get embarrassed. "No…"

Octavia didn't miss Raven's face, however. "You totally do! Holy shit! I mean, I don't blame you; it's a hot thought. I would be lying if I said I didn't think it was a little strange, but I'd also be lying if I said I never imagined two people getting it on."

The older girl buries her face in her hands. "Oh my god…"

"I have to ask you something."

"No." Though she'd deny it, Raven is still far too embarrassed to face whatever questions Octavia might have.

"Too bad. Are you into girls? Because, you know, some of the advice you gave me seemed pretty professional. Have you slept with women before?"

Realizing that Octavia is now getting serious, Raven picks up her head. "I have. I've been into ladies for as long as I can remember. Don't get me wrong, I'll sleep with whomever I'm attracted to, but I fall for women easier. Finn was the only guy I ever really loved romantically. He was like family though, so it was different. There were a couple of girls before him."

"Well, if there was more than one than you should _definitely_ have more tips for next time."

"Ah, so you want to use me for my mad skills, I see how it is."

"What are friends for?"


	16. We'll go on a journey

**Author's Note: **The long awaited next chapter is finally here! I intended to write more over the summer, but I got way too caught up in life and whatnot. So now, during the first weekend of the semester, I'm deciding to continue. This truly is my main source of procrastination.

Enjoy, everyone! And sorry for the wait.

* * *

Just as Raven is finishing up giving Octavia some advice, Clarke and Bellamy enter the workshop.

"I'm just saying, I could've make that shot with my eyes closed if _this_ dimwit hadn't been talking nonstop," Bellamy claims, glaring at Raven.

"_Again_ with this? Let's face it that deer was at least 300 yards out and you were armed with a barely-functioning pistol. You would've missed it by 100 yards if the entire forest was silent."

"What exactly are you two talking about?" Octavia asks with a chuckle. Bellamy and Raven are always arguing about something.

"When they were walking back, Bellamy saw a deer that he figured he'd hunt, but Raven allegedly, and I quote, 'distracted him with mindless banter' and he missed the shot." Clarke rolls her eyes as she quotes Bell, causing Octavia to grin as she pulls the blonde onto her lap.

"_Allegedly_? Do you not know Raven? The girl never shuts up!"

"Sitting right here, Bellamy," Raven says with a smile and a wave. The girls laugh at Bell's clearly bruised ego as he mumbles and props himself up on a workbench.

"So what were you ladies talking about?" Clarke asks with a smile.

"Oh, you know, _girl things_. Like I said babe, Raven's pretty knowledgeable."

With that, Bellamy gets up and starts walking out. "I am _not_ going to sit here and listen to my sister talk about sex. I'll probably end up shooting Clarke."

"You sure you'd make the shot?" Raven jokes. Bellamy groans at the girls' laughter and continues to leave, but before he gets a chance, Clarke calls him back.

"Hold up Bellamy, we have some more important things to talk about." The blonde slides off of her girlfriend and onto the seat next to her.

"What could be more important than—" Clarke raises an eyebrow at Octavia and shakes her head. She appreciates the humor, but there really is something imperative to discuss.

Bellamy reluctantly treks back to the group and sits next to Raven.

"Raven, I'm not sure if you know this yet, but Lexa has asked Octavia and I to visit Polis."

"It didn't come up. When are you going?"

"That's the thing we need to figure out. I think it would be pretty dumb for O and I to go alone, so I was hoping that you, Bellamy, and Kane would come too. My mom can stay behind and keep an eye on things while we're gone. What do you think?"

"I think Abby won't go along with it at all." This is the first comment Raven has made that is completely serious.

"Unfortunately, she won't have a choice. She's the only one with enough medical expertise to care for everybody at Camp Jaha. If she's gone, who knows what'll happen. Hopefully she'll feel better knowing that Kane is with us. I think that we should wait a bit to prepare and discuss the treaty terms more specifically among the six of us, but we shouldn't leave any later than one week from now."

"You know I'm down, princess." Octavia smiles and takes her girlfriend's hand.

"Same here, blondie."

The three girls turn and await Bellamy's response.

"How are we going to get there? It's not like anyone here knows where Polis is."

"I'll ask the Commander to leave a grounder to escort us. Are you coming or not?"

"Of course."

"Ok, Octavia and I will go talk to Lexa and then my mom. Could the two of you talk to Kane?"

"You got it!" Raven and Bellamy exclaim this simultaneously, forcing them to role their eyes at one another. Clarke and Octavia head out of the workshop and head towards Lexa's tent.

"So how was your nap?" O finally gets to ask.

"Not as eternal as I'd hoped, but not bad. How was your chat with Raven?"

"It was good, but there's actually something else that I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"Your mom."

"Oh god, I forgot to tell you that we talked last night! Don't worry, she and I are on good terms right now."

"I know, we actually had a chance to talk before Bell and Raven came back."

"Then what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, she told me about your very long conversation, which got me wondering what exactly you said. Basically, one thought led to another and—well—did you tell her that we had sex?"

Clarke practically trips over her own feet and is caught by Octavia. Once she regains her composure, she responds. "Oh HELL no! I never have and I never will talk to my mom about sex. No. Just…no."

"Good." The two girls laugh and continue to Lexa's tent. One of the Commander's guards instructs them to wait for a moment. Indra can be heard speaking in Trigedasleng from outside.

"What are they saying?" the blonde asks.

"I can't get all of it, but it seems like Indra is telling Heda that she should not keep a peace with us…that sounded like 'the sky girls can't be trusted.' Oh my god-"

All of a sudden, an unmistakable sound is heard. Somebody just got punched in the face. There is a bit of yelling between Indra and the guard, and then it becomes quiet as Lexa speaks.

"What just happened? What is she saying?" Clarke is feeling extremely anxious.

Octavia places a hand over her girlfriend's mouth. "Hush for a second, babe." The brunette listens intently.

"Ok, well basically Indra called Heda a fool. I think the guard punched Indra though, not the Commander. Lexa said something about how Indra must trust and respect her decisions and called her the fool. She said that peace with us is necessary. She mentioned Polis too, but I couldn't understand the rest of it."

With the translation of the Commander's words, Clarke relaxes. "I'm really impressed with how well you know their language. You've learned so quickly."

"I tend to learn a lot of things quickly," O says with a sly smile. "The mind is a sponge."

"The girlfriend is a dork," Clarke replies, placing a soft kiss on Octavia's lips.

Indra emerges from the Commanders tent, glares at the couple, and then storms away. The guard exits the tent much more calmly. "You may enter."

* * *

**Author's Note: **That's it for now! I promise I'll continue :)

Please follow, favorite, and review!


	17. Hashing it out

"Heda," Octavia says, respectfully bowing her head as she and Clarke enter the tent.

"What does Indra mean 'the sky girls can't be trusted'? If there's anybody who can't be trusted Lexa, it's you." Clarke doesn't know why she is instantaneously so fierce with Lexa. She just knows that her anxiety quickly turned to anger when she stepped into the tent and saw the Commander.

The leader of the Trigedakru does not look up from where she sits. She just calmly warns, "I would advise you not to address me in such a manner. We may have an alliance now, but still you must watch your place."

"_My_ place?" Clarke is flaming, but Octavia gently rests a hand on her shoulder, telling the blonde that she isn't alone. Coolly now, Clarke continues. "I don't need to remind you that you are in _our_ camp."

"And I have no desire to remind you that you are on _our_ ground. Nevertheless, we are both here." Lexa looks up now, locking eyes with Clarke. The emerald green eyes that Clarke once admired no longer look so beautiful, but rather like murky water. The Commander approaches Clarke and proceeds. "There is no act that you have committed to betray my trust. The words spoken by Indra were out of her own selfish discontentment. She will be handled accordingly. Have you made a decision regarding your journey to Polis?"

Clarke doesn't respond. Octavia searches her eyes and finds nothing. The last time Clarke looked this detached was when Octavia found her in the woods after Mount Weather. The brunette answers for her.

"We'll leave for Polis in about a week. But we want to bring Raven, Kane, and my brother. We'll also need you to leave somebody behind that knows how to get us to the city."

"That is a reasonable request. Fayus!" Lexa calls and the guard enters her tent.

"Heda."

"Retrieve Echo." The guard bows his head and swiftly exits the tent. The Commander no longer looks to Clarke, but Octavia now. "Echo is an Azgedakru warrior. She was a captive of Mount Weather and has been with the Trigedakru since her release. Echo will lead you to Polis."

"How is she going to get us back if she's from the Ice Nation? Wouldn't we be better off with somebody like, what was that guard's name? Fayus? Our alliance isn't even with the Azgedakru."

"As Clarke and I discussed before sealing the alliance with the Skaikru and Trigedakru, the remaining eleven clans recognize the importance of your people. If you are to arrive in Polis with a warrior from another clan, it will demonstrate a stronger potential for peace. Do you question my decision, Octavia?"

She thinks about saying yes, but decides she'd rather live to see another day. "No, Heda."

"Very well. Fayus should return with Echo momentarily. Perhaps I will exit and allow you to speak alone with Clarke?" The Commander sees Clarke's still blank stare. She clearly cares enough about the alliance to want Clarke to be perceived by her people as attentive and strong.

"Thank you, Heda." Once Lexa exits, Octavia rubs her thumb against Clarke's pale cheek. The blonde's eyes come slightly back to life as she turns her gaze to her girlfriend.

"She said I didn't do anything to betray her trust. But _she_ betrayed _me_, O. She betrayed all of us."

"Did you-" Octavia pauses for a moment, "-do you have feelings for her?"

"I did. But I don't. Now she only reminds me of what she made me do at the Mountain."

"Remember when we were in the bunker? Remember what I said to you night after night?"

"I did what I had to, and that's okay. But Octavia, it doesn't feel okay. Every time I see Lexa it doesn't feel okay." Clarke's eyes are welling up now, and Octavia wraps her arms around the blonde's waist. She leans her head onto Clarke's shoulder and begins to speak in a soft tone.

"But what about when you see me? Clarke, if you hadn't done what you did, I would've died. You would've died. Raven, Bellamy, Abby, Monroe, Wick, Jasper, Kane, Monty, Harper—they all would be dead." She tightens her grip on Clarke, but moves her head so that she can look into the blonde's teary eyes with her own watery ones. "I hate to bring this up, but remember what Fox looked like? Lying dead in that cart? I would've been there too. We all would've been there. You would've been there. I love you so much, and I can't bear to picture you gone. It may be selfish as hell, but you made the right decision. You made a decision so that we could live, and I am so thankful. Thank you. Thank you."

The brunette takes Clarke's face in her hands and slowly brings her in for a passionate kiss. As her lips lock onto Clarke's, she tastes the salt from both of their tears. The blonde wraps her arms around Octavia's neck and dives deeper into the kiss. As their tongues dance, the tears in their eyes dry up. The kiss slowly separates and transforms into a warm and meaningful embrace, something that both girls desperately need.

After a moment, Clarke formulates a verbal response. "You are the best thing to come from Lexa's betrayal. I guess I just had trouble seeing the chain of events like that."

"If you ever forget how you see it now, I'll be sure to remind you," says Octavia as she wipes away the last tear from Clarke's face, eliciting a returned smile. "Not to ruin this moment or anything, but you did go catatonic for a minute there. I just want to check before Lexa comes back, do you know what's going on?"

"Echo from the Ice Nation."

"Were you just playing dead? Were you just trying to get me to make out with you?" Octavia asks with fierce humor.

"You caught me," Clarke replies with a laugh. "My mind was in two places at once, but I heard everything."

"That's good," Octavia spins Clarke so she's facing the entrance of the tent, "because they're back."

At the entrance stand Lexa, Fayus, and a slender brunette girl, no older than Bellamy. Echo.

"You must be Octavia." Echo approaches Clarke's girlfriend and greets her with a traditional…hug? "Bellamy has spoken very highly of you."

"What? You know my brother?" O asks with a puzzled look—partially because this random grounder is buddy-buddy with her brother, partially because of that hug.

"Yes, he saved my life. I was in fact speaking with him before Fayus escorted me here." The girl turns to the Sky Princess now. "I know that you are Clarke, I saw you seal the alliance." Again, the grounder presents the girl with a hug.

"Well you're different," Clarke says matter-of-factly.

Octavia leans into Clarke's ear and whispers, "You'd think the Ice Nation girl would be a bit colder." Clarke and Echo both roll their eyes—apparently Octavia isn't very good at whispering.

"To speak true, most of my people would not appreciate how I have greeted you. However, with hopes of building a strong alliance, I wish only to act towards you in a manner that provides familiarity and comfort."

"We appreciate it," Clarke says sincerely now.

Lexa interrupts the introductions. "My people must begin preparation for dawn's journey. I ask that you leave now and give Echo a place to stay in your camp. I will see you all in Polis."

"Yes, heda," Echo and Octavia say together as they begin to exit the tent. Octavia looks back to Clarke, who nods at her to go on ahead.

"Fayus, wait outside." The burly man exits without a word at Lexa's command.

"Have you become weak, Clarke? The dried water trails on your face did not go unnoticed."

"No, Lexa. I think I'm stronger than I've ever been. And I have you to thank in part for that." Clarke fearlessly approaches Lexa and gently squeezes both of her shoulders. Looking into deep eyes, she smiles. "Thank you."

Clarke leaves with that smile, a slightly confused Lexa behind her. "Thank you, Octavia," she whispers to herself as she jogs to catch up with Echo and her girlfriend.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Just FYI, Fayus is an original character! So if you're thinking "did I miss something when I was watching the show?" you didn't.


	18. Sleepover

**Author's Note: **Alas, season three has arrived! Since a new storyline is developing, I'm going to try and head in that direction eventually (while keeping this fic Clarktavia). I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to write in Niylah, but if I do, it won't be romantic with Clarke.

Sorry for the hiatus, and enjoy this juicy ;) chapter!

* * *

It's nightfall and Octavia is looking at Clarke like a sad puppy. Echo smiles at the girls and wishes them goodnight before entering their tent. Clarke turns away and Octavia follows behind her, pleading.

"But babe…"

"I'm sorry O, but it's out of respect."

"Can't somebody else be respectful and give up their space for Echo? Heck, we can even pitch her a tent of her own!"

"We could, but letting her stay in our tent for the week shows that we can be hospitable."

"Well princess, I sure hope you planned for where we'll be staying in the midst of your flourishing hospitality!"

"Don't worry dork, we're headed there now." Clarke turns to Octavia and puts out her hand. Somewhat begrudgingly, O takes her hand as they walk to their destination. "Ta da!" Clarke exclaims upon arrival.

Octavia looks at the tarp living space before them. "Raven's tent? There's no way the two of us are fitting in there!"

"Three of us, Pocahontas." Raven emerges from the tent with a smile. "What, you didn't think I'd give up my place for you two lesbos, did you?"

Clarke laughs while Octavia smacks the mechanic.

"It won't be _that_ bad, O. It was either this or my mom's…" Clarke shudders at the thought of spending a week in a tent with her overbearing mother and free-spirited girlfriend.

"Speaking of Dr. G, did you talk to her about staying here while we go to Polis?" asks Raven.

"It was a bit louder than talking, but it's settled. Though she's extremely stubborn, my mom is finally thinking about what's best for everybody from the Ark."

"Stubborn. Sounds just like you, blondie. Like mother, like daughter I suppose." Raven flashes a snarky smile at Clarke, who rolls her eyes. "Ah, I'm looking forward to being roomies all week."

"Yeah, about that...could I talk to Clarke alone for a minute?" Octavia asks, giving Raven the 'this is serious' look.

"Fine, I'll leave the lovers be," she says while suggestively wiggling her brows.

Octavia glares at her friend. "Reyes—"

The mechanic throws her hands up in the air and starts to walk backwards. "I'm going, I'm going."

Octavia leads Clarke into the tent and sits on a bedroll, pulling the blonde onto her lap. "That girl assumes everything's about sex."

Clarke snickers and nods, "Probably because she isn't getting any." She pauses a moment to become more serious. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Sex." She and her girlfriend laugh momentarily and Octavia continues. "I know that it's only been like three days since and it's been pretty hectic, and I don't want you to be uncomfortable and I don't want to be pushy, but hell did I love fucking you."

Clarke smiles and places a soft kiss on the brunette's lips. "Likewise."

"I don't think I'll be able to wait until we leave for Polis, let alone until we get back."

"O, who said we have to wait?"

Tension sits in the air. Clarke stares right into those bright green eyes. She slowly presses her lips to her girlfriend's, gliding her tongue across the roof of O's mouth after a moment. This elicits a soft moan as the brunette presses her hands to Clarke's hips. The sky girl removes her shirt swiftly and the grounder does the same. Octavia flips Clarke onto her back and unbuttons the other girl's jeans, falling back into a passionate kiss at the same time. She tries to slide off Clarke's jeans without breaking the kiss, but fails. She breaks contact and removes the remainder of Clarke's clothing followed by her own, then returns to her position atop the princess.

Smiling hungrily, the brunette whispers, "Now there's nothing in the way."

Clarke grabs the back of Octavia's head and pulls her into another deep kiss. She flips their positions and takes total control, pinning the grounder girl's arms above her head. She breaks the kiss, pulling at Octavia's lower lip while doing so. She bites her way down the girl's body and doesn't even pause once she reaches the folds of wet pink flesh. Octavia moans loudly, but this one is too loud. Clarke comes up and quiets her with a kiss.

She whispers into the other girl's ear, "Frankly, I don't care if everybody knows about this," she gestures to their naked bodies, "but I'd rather not have anybody barge in here mid-fuck because they think somebody is in danger."

Octavia nods her head and then pushes Clarke back down. The blonde inserts two fingers into her core and takes her clit into her mouth. She starts with slow thrusts and licks, but as Octavia strained attempts to remain quiet begin to falter, Clarke picks up the pace. She adds a third finger and pushes fiercely at O's g-spot. She broadly licks her clit before sucking on it hard. The sky princess' hand is soaking wet. Octavia bucks against her head, indicating that she's right on the edge. Clarke wants to watch her girlfriend's orgasm, so she uses her free hand to replace her tongue at Octavia's clit. Her blue eyes lock to desperate green ones.

The look of Clarke's face along with her fast-working hands throws Octavia into a fierce orgasm. She forces back the urge to scream, but a loud moan does escape. Clarke rests her forehead against Octavia's, her hands still slowly fucking her below. She offers a whispered 'shh' while still keeping the intense eye contact. As Octavia finishes riding out the wave, Clarke slowly removes her fingers and brings them up to her mouth, where she seductively licks them clean. The grounder girl is panting heavily, almost unable to breathe, yet she pulls the princess into a lip lock. Clarke breathes into her.

"I love the way I taste on you," Octavia whispers into Clarke's mouth. She turns Clarke over and begins to go down on her. "But I love the taste of you a hell of a lot more." This time she whispers the words into the blonde's core.

Clarke grips the mess of brunette hair and pushes Octavia's face against her, shutting the girl up and bringing soft kisses to her clit. Octavia slips her tongue into Clarke's opening, which the princess clearly enjoys as she hums at the action and grinds her hips. Octavia feels herself getting wet again as she continues to fuck Clarke. She removes her head from between Clarke's legs and the blonde disapprovingly grunts at the loss of contact. Octavia grins slyly before moving them into a scissor position. She pulls Clarke's torso up so that she can feel her breathing. As the grounder girl connects their wet cores, Clarke moans quietly and rests her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.

Octavia begins to thrust herself against Clarke, and her girlfriend matches the pace. The blonde turns red from pleasure and begins to make out with Octavia, their mouths still clasped together as they achieve simultaneous orgasms. They don't really move from their position, they simply collapse into each other's arms. Octavia softly kisses Clarke's neck and shoulder.

"You know, this is a little unfair," Clarke says into Octavia's ear.

The brunette flips her messy hair behind her back and runs her fingers through it to clear her line of sight. "What is?" she asks in response as she brushes the messy blonde hair out of her girlfriend's face and tucks it behind her ears.

"Each time we've had sex now, you've had two orgasms. Yet I, the queen of all pleasure clearly, only get one."

Octavia can't help but laugh. "Oh please, don't oversell yourself." She strokes the blonde's cheek when she sees the other girl's content smile. O pulls the princess into another passionate kiss, ready to even the score…

Until Raven walks in. "Well shit."

Without letting go of Clarke, Octavia whips her head around to see the mechanic standing in the tent's entrance. The blonde grabs a nearby pillow and tosses it at Raven. "Get out!"

Raven throws the pillow back, whacking Octavia in the head, before quickly exiting.

"Ow," Octavia laughs as she turns to face the girl whose body is still intertwined with her own. Clarke is laughing too. "I promise, I'll more than make up for everything you've given me," she grabs Clarke's t-shirt and puts it over her girlfriend's head, "but maybe not now."

Clarke hands Octavia the tank she discarded earlier. "Sounds like a plan." She lays a kiss on O's cheek and embraces her warmly before the two get up to finish dressing. "I'll go talk to Raven."

Octavia settles herself into the bedroll, slightly exhausted. "Don't be gone too long. I find that I sleep better with you next to me."

Clarke blushes and Octavia smiles at her own cliché comment and its effect on her girlfriend. "Dork," the blonde mutters as she leaves toward the workshop.

* * *

Clarke sees the mechanic tinkering with something and knocks on the metal archway to the workshop. "Hey, Reyes."

Raven turns around in her seat to look at the clothed girl. "Ah, come on in sexypants."

Clarke laughs a bit and moves to sit across from the older girl.

"In case you're wondering, the two of you were situated just right for me to only see Octavia's sweaty back and your red faces."

The sky princess blushes a little. "Sorry about that…"

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Griffin. But you should probably leave a sock on the doorknob next time."

"It's a tent, Raven. There's no doorknob. Besides, you knew what was going on."

"I did not! Octavia said you had to _talk_."

Clarke raises her eyebrows in slight disbelief. How about next time we'll come and get you when we're done 'talking' that way there's no…awkwardness."

Raven shrugs, "Nothing awkward for me!"

The girls laugh and Clarke gets up, then grabs Raven's wrists to pull her out of her seat as well. "Regardless, let's not have that happen again."

"Deal."

"Great. Now what do you say we get this very long week of sleepovers started?"

* * *

**Author's Note: ** So while writing this, I decided where I'm going. After the next chapter there's going to be a bit of a time jump to get us caught up to Wanheda: Part 1! I'm excited for where it's headed, so hang tight folks.


	19. The last day

**Author's Note:** I can't believe I haven't written in over a year. I won't lie, the death of Lexa really shook me. Though I may never have written Clexa, I truly shipped them and hoped they would be endgame on the show. Alas, jrat took it upon himself to end that, and I lost my motivation to write. After some encouraging messages, however, I have decided that it's finally time to continue. I can't leave this story the way I had.

With the new season starting, I have my concerns for the show and how it will end up. However, I've decided that I'll continue writing however I feel my story should go. Most likely it will be completely separate from the show, so don't look for connections to that storyline. I certainly will not kill off Lexa. I probably won't even write in the CoL, because that storyline annoyed the shit out of me anyway. You'll just have to wait and see what happens, as will I.

Enjoy this continuation of Hide &amp; Seek! FYI, some Trigedasleng will be used, so look to the end for translations.

* * *

"You're beautiful" Clarke notes, twirling Octavia's hair between her fingers as the brunette's head rests upon her bare chest.

Octavia tilts her head up to look at Clarke, careful not to totally break contact. She smiles and softly kisses the princess's chest. She loves laying with her girlfriend like this: just the two of them, completely naked under the cover of a bedroll.

"What do you think Polis is going to be like?"

Octavia thinks for a moment before responding. "Well, from what Indra used to tell me, it's huge. There's a big marketplace where people of all twelve clans come to trade. She also mentioned a central tower where the leaders meet, the commander resides, and guests of the capitol stay. I'm assuming we'll be spending a lot of time in there."

"Sounds nice," Clarke replies flatly.

"You sound worried." Octavia sits up now, and turns so she can look into her girlfriend's eyes.

"I'm going to be introduced as the leader of the thirteenth clan. Most of the grounders despise us, and blame us for the deaths of their own. Most of those deaths were caused by me and my actions, yet I'm supposed to expect them to accept me into a position of power? It just feels like we're walking into a death trap." There's no exaggeration or falseness in Clarke's voice, and Octavia can see that she is truly scared.

Octavia's response is serious and calculated, but with a level of understanding only she could offer Clarke. "Listen, like we've both learned and talked about a thousand times before, you made the choices you had to in order to protect us. We knew nothing about the grounders and they didn't have a clue who we were, so naturally there was fighting. If they hate us for anything, it's the sheer fact that we dropped out of space and came here uninvited. But now we're here and not going back. You just have to go in there strong and unapologetic. You are being brought in by their Commander. If they defy her, they'll face death."

Clarke nods, but is by no means reassured. She's simply tired of all the death. Will becoming the thirteenth clan lead to the loss of even more?

Octavia sees the wheels turning in Clarke's head, and doesn't miss her increasingly fast breaths and the sweat glistening on her forehead. Her first anxiety attack since returning to Arkadia.

"Look at me, princess. You are not allowed to take the weight of this alone. I'm with you all the way. We're not going to let more people die. I know it isn't easy, it never is, but this is going to be good for our people." Octavia rests her forehead on Clarke's, and gives her girlfriend time to steady her breathing.

"You can't leave my side when we're there," Clarke pleads after a moment.

"I said I'm with you, and I meant it. But don't forget, you brought people together before without me. Remember when we first got to Earth? You're the reason that those of us who survived are still here. Even I was butting heads with you at first, but shit, look at us now," Octavia exclaims, reminding Clarke of their progress.

Clarke can't help but laugh before slyly responding, "Yeah, now we're bumping uglies instead."

"Oh my god, Clarke. You must be spending too much time around Raven."

"Speaking of, do you think she managed to sleep last night? I'm just worried that her decision to stay in her workshop left her hyper-focused on those damn radios. We do leave tomorrow morning, and it's going to suck if she's overly tired." Clarke's concern is shared by Octavia, who promptly gets up and begins getting dressed.

"We'd better check on her then." Octavia throws some clothing at her girlfriend. "As sexy as you look like this," she gestures to Clarke's voluptuous curves, "it's probably best you get dressed before leaving the tent."

The blonde frowns as Octavia adorns a deep red tank, covering her torso. Clarke quickly gets up to stop her from putting on a pair of recycled Ark jeans.

"You know what? I think that checking on Raven five minutes from now won't make much of a difference." Clarke removes her girlfriend's shirt and begins sucking on her neck.

Octavia lets out an excited moan. "Five minutes? You'd better work fast," she commands with a mischievous grin.

"Yes ma'am," Clarke responds with a smile, before pulling the brunette into a searing kiss.

* * *

"I can't believe you kept going for over an hour," Clarke whines as she rushes towards Raven's workshop.

"You're the one who's been telling me we never have an 'even number' of orgasms!" Octavia declares a bit too loudly as they reach the entrance.

Raven rolls her eyes and turns in her chair to face her friends. "And _this_ is why I've been sleeping in here for the last five nights. Granted, the metal floor isn't the most comfortable surface, but it's much better than trying to sleep between your sexual tension that first night."

Octavia exaggerates a wink, and Clarke can only scoff and shake her head when she sees it. The blonde approaches the workbench where Raven is sitting to see five completed walkies amongst various tools and parts. "_Have _you even slept?" Clarke asks as she picks up one of the radios. "You did say these take forever to make."

"Well, I _would have_ slept, but I got to thinking, 'what if the radios had some sort of emergency wake function?' That way, if, for example, you two have the brilliant idea to turn yours off again like when the grounders showed up here, we'll still have a way of sending a distress signal. So, I tinkered for a bit until I got it to work, rewired each walkie to have the same function, and then you guys showed up!" Raven sounds much more enthusiastic than her face looks. Her eyes are red and puffy, she's running pale, and she's emitting a sort of mad-scientist-who's-about-to-snap vibe.

Octavia appears a bit puzzled as she moves to stand between Clarke and Raven. "Wouldn't it have just been easier to tell everyone not to turn off their radios?"

Clarke snickers under her breath and slightly nudges her girlfriend, as a warning. Raven certainly looks defeated.

"I mean, I definitely think that was a good idea and clearly you're fucking brilliant, I just feel bad that you haven't slept at all," Octavia elaborates in an attempt to ward off an emotional breakdown from the mechanic.

"It's all good. I'm good! I just need coffee or something. Do we have coffee around here? I don't even know…" she trails off, standing but then immediately falling back into her seat as her head starts to spin.

"Slow down there, Reyes. How about we take you back to your tent so you can rest?" Clarke offers, as she and Octavia move to either side of Raven and help her up.

"What about you two?"

Octavia laughs, "Clarke was complaining about being in that tent with me for an hour, there's no way we were going to be spending the whole day in there."

"Not funny," Clarke replies with an eye roll. Despite her seriousness, the other two girls can't help but laugh.

* * *

After getting Raven settled, Clarke and Octavia begin walking over to their own tent. Well, it used to be Clarke's, but since coming back, it became both of theirs. Octavia didn't feel comfortable sleeping in the Ark room where she had stayed with Lincoln. Plus, she liked being outdoors. It's no house, but it's a place for just the two of them. Well, usually. But this past week it has been Echo's temporary residence.

"I'm still bitter about having given up our space to some Azgeda gada whom, by the way, we may not even be able to trust."

Clarke wraps an arm around Octavia's shoulders and gives her a quick, reassuring squeeze. "Gada? How about gona, since we're _not_ trying to offend anyone. Look at it this way, tomorrow we leave for Polis. Once we're there, we won't have to worry about Echo anymore. Either way, I think she seems nice."

Octavia huffs, "If by nice you mean fake, then yeah, very nice."

Clarke laughs and shakes her head as they approach the tent.

A rather chipper Echo emerges as the girls arrive. "Heya! Ha yo?"

"Nou foto. Yu?" Octavia's response is far less enthusiastic.

"Ai ste kik raun!"

Knowing that Octavia is simply not having Echo's sunshine, Clarke decides to do the talking. "Glad to hear it! From what everyone's been saying, you've been quite the pleasure to have around Arkadia. Unfortunately, we've barely had a chance to speak this whole week, so I've neglected to ask if you need anything for the trip to Polis."

"The commander left behind a horse, so I suppose the only other thing worth bringing along would be some food and a water container."

"Fair enough. I'll make sure we have that all ready to go tonight."

"I too never had the chance to ask, do you also plan to ride horses, or will you walk? Because I must say, it is a rather long journey."

"Well, Octavia and I will be riding. Raven, Bellamy, and Kane will follow in a truck."

"A truck?" Echo inquires, with a suspicious naïveté.

Now Octavia chimes in with attitude, "It's like a metal horse."

"Oh, I see. similar to what the Maunon used."

"The trucks are actually from Mount Weather," Clarke replies remorsefully.

"I take it that is why you will not use one, Wanheda?"

Confusion immediately sets in for both Clarke and Octavia.

"Wanheda?" they simultaneously ask.

"Yes. You are the Commander of Death."

* * *

**Translations:**

_Azgeda gada_ – Ice Nation girl

_Gona_ – Warrior

_Heya! Ha yo?_ – Hi! How are y'all?

_Nou foto. Yu?_ – Not bad. You?

_Ai ste kik raun!_ – I'm doing well!

_Maunon_ – Mountain Men

As always, if you notice any translation errors, please let me know!

**Author's Note: **Ah, cliffhangers. I certainly look forward to continuing with this. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up within two weeks.

Favorites, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.


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